Game Over: Would You Like to Play Again?
by Overworkedunderwhelmed
Summary: Paris is celebrating the first full year of protection by their guardian superheroes, and in honor of the day, Hawkmoth has also stepped up his game. Marinette is just hoping to survive the day, but after Adrien wakes up to rather unpleasant surprise, he is bound and determined make sure everything is just right - this time around. (Groundhog Day AU)
1. Day 1

"Marinette! You're going to be late!"

The shrill chime of the alarm clock and her mother's voice echoing up the stairs signaled to her sleep-addled mind that this would be a day like any other.

Tikki was tugging at her pigtails, doing her own part at helping her young charge up out of bed. "C'mon, Marinette. You wanted to get up early today."

Marinette's nose scrunched up, her eyes widening just enough to peer at the clock over on her bedside table. She threw her arm up over her eyes to block out the light, whining. "But it's Saturday."

"Right," Tikki assured musically, before her voice dropped to a tone of censure. "But today is the city's official celebration for Ladybug and Chat Noir. I think they might notice if Ladybug is missing."

"Oh no!" Marinette shot up in bed, her eyes wide as she tore of the few covers that still lingered on her overnight. She darted over to her dresser, peeling out of her pajamas and digging her outfit for the day out of the drawer, as Tikki dutifully opened her purse to help her get ready for the day.

"Marinette?"

"I'm up, Mom!" Marinette tugged her new shirt over her head, smoothing the wrinkles away as she set the cloth neatly in place.

"Your friend Alya is here."

Marinette and Tikki stared at each other for a moment, before Tikki ducked back into the purse with a sigh.

Marinette snagged her pants, balancing on one foot as she simultaneously tugged on the first leg and shouted. "I'll be down in one minute."

In the intervening silence, Marinette could practically hear her Mother and Alya shake their heads in unison from up here.

True to her word, Marinette was down the stairs in under a few minutes. Alya had her bag ready to go and Sabine had even gotten a croissant ready for them to both take along with them while they walked to the bus stop that would take them both over to the steps of City Hall.

* * *

Adrien leaned against the car window, glancing out the window in a daze as the familiar swath of buildings rushes by. The view is always more impressive from the skyline anymore, excepting the rare occasion that they managed to come upon Ladybug already at the scene dealing with an Akuma.

He sighed. At least he'd managed to re-arrange the photo shoot time earlier so he could go and celebrate at the ceremony - with both Nathalie and his chauffeur as escort of course.

Nathalie had been vague, but his Father must have been occupied with meetings for the whole day. At least he'd only need to figure out a way to sneak out from his two guard's occasionally less than watchful eye to attend as Chat Noir. His chauffeur might stay in the car, but Nathalie was less likely to be so deterred.

This all would be so much easier if he could also pick Ladybug's brain. She was far quicker on her feet in the planning department.

* * *

"...And, when you figure that most of the supervillians have power and agility limitations based upon the age of their host, you have to wonder if Ladybug and Chat Noir must work the same way."

Marinette was trying to listen intently with appearing to do so. Alya kept her theorizing going the whole of the bus ride, doggedly persistent. She glanced down to the purse at her side, making a mental note that she had to talk to Tikki at the earliest opportunity. It was becoming more and more important that she understood more clearly about how her powers worked, maybe even how Hawkmoth seemed to be using his powers - just to throw Alya off her scent. At least, she didn't know who Chat Noir was, so she could not inadvertently blow his cover.

Marinette frowned. "But what about our trip to the museum? Wasn't Ladybug really old? How is it that she is able to move so fast if that is the case?"

Alya's eyes narrowed as she tapped the edge of her pen against her lip. "Maybe there is something about the nature of her powers?"

"Or possibly even Chat Noir's powers?" Marinette half-nodded conspiratorially.

Alya bit her lip, considering that thought.

Luckily, she didn't have long to ponder. Marinette breathed a sigh of relief as their bus slowed to the stop near city hall. Alya was getting harder and hard to dodge by the day.

Of course, no sooner had Marinette gotten off the bus that she realized she had breathed all too soon. Alya's grin was nearly predatory. It didn't take Marinette long to figure out why.

Hefting her backpack onto her other shoulder, Marinette shuffled off the final step and onto the sidewalk as Nino waved them both over to join him and Adrien.

It was weird. Nino and Alya were definitely in cahoots, and Nino - despite all his protesting to the contrary - definitely knew who it was that Marinette had a crush on. Marinette sighed. Considering how much of the school had managed to get Akumatized, she was lucky that no one had already managed to reveal that secret to Adrien, even if they had ever intended to keep it.

Equally as weird, the more exposure she got to Adrien, the more easy it became to at least talk to him. In some ways.

But that also confirmed to her over and over again how much Adrien was more than just a pretty face. From the very start, he was opposed to Chloe's awfulness. He had even gone out of his way to clarify his all too kind intentions - despite her own misunderstanding of the situation where they met. That alone had been enough to make her start to fall for him. Now, she knew a bit more of his humor. She watched him be an amazing friend to so many in their class, herself included. She knew how his life at home was fairly lonely. She knew he no doubt received piles of letters from swooning fan girls through the city and abroad. Despite it all, he was still so unfailingly kind to so many.

Alya finally noticed that Marinette was spacing out, and had marched back to tug her along through the growing crowd. "C'mon girl. Ladybug may be here any minute."

"I'm coming." Marinette sighed. Despite her own alter ego and the fact that today's celebration was literally in her own honor - not that she could tell anyone that, of course - Marinette still felt painfully, woefully inadequate. On her best days with Adrien, she felt like she was channeling Ladybug. But without Tikki's luck and voice of experience, she was still just the somewhat shy girl who feared assuming the powers and responsibilities of the superhero on that first mission, until the lives of those she loved were literally in the balance. She was vulnerable, and outside of her family there was only one other person (and one Kwami) that she gave that level of trust to.

But she didn't get to pick any of them. None of them had ever let her down - not really - although she feared that so often that she would be the one to let down her parents, or Tikki, or Chat Noir.

Marinette dared to breathe, nervously smoothing back her hair out of habit. That was part of why dealing with Adrien still continued to freak her out. She had built him up and her mind, and in spite of it all, he continued to be amazing.

"Hi, Alya. Hi, Marinette."

She smiled mutely, except for the slightest squeak that involuntarily slipped past her lips.

* * *

Adrien frowned, looking from Marinette to Alya. He still wasn't sure what he had done to offend Marinette. He saw how she acted everyday with every other member of the class. Even how she treated Chat Noir was normal and sweet, if somewhat lacking in appreciation for some the finest puns he had saved up.

It just didn't make sense. Luckily, Alya took pity on him, breaking the awkward silence. "Hey, Adrien."

Nino watched the whole scene with some amusement. "Actually, bro. Could you run and grab us some chow? Alya and I have to get the video equipment set up for her blog, and I promised to get some extra footage on my camera to splice in from another angle."

Adrien nodded, trying to stifle a grin. He pulled out his phone to let Nathalie know where he was supposed to be, as he'd promised. Surely he could sneak away, appear as Chat Noir, wow the crowd with a few of the zingers he'd been saving up, and then pop over to the food market with Nino, Alya, and Marinette none the wiser.

Alya bumped Marinette's shoulder. "Marinette, you should go, too. You've got that extra bag anyways to help hauls stuff back. Besides, if you leave now, you can avoid paying for the rest of the class and grab something before the lines get too long."

Adrien flinched for a moment, chewing on the inside of his lip and silently re-calculating how he might be able to make a quick escape without potentially offending Marinette.

"I-" What must have been shock passed through the girl's all too blue eyes, until she peeked over into his eyes and nodded. He must have made quite a face, because Marinette looked instantly worried, plastering on a wide smile. "O-okay."

* * *

Marinette ducked into an alley, transforming quickly before reeling herself up to the roof with her yo-yo to tuck her backpack out of view until it was safe to transform back. She hid the bag and turned around just to catch Chat Noir bounding into view on the next roof over.

The cheers below clearly meant he had been spotted, a series of red and black balloons dotting the skyline. Already, Chat was preening with the attention, turning his Cheshire grin over to her. "Ready to make a grand entrance, my lady?"

She rolled her eyes but couldn't entirely stifle a grin, as she spooled up her yo-yo in preparation to swing down to the crowd dramatically. "Come along, Cat. I suppose we can't keep them waiting."

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Mayor Bourgeois intoned through the loudspeaker, "just one year ago, two heroes descended upon Paris and have spent an amazing amount of time protecting our fair city from an unknown source of evil."

A chorus of cheers rose up from the crowd as Ladybug dropped onto the City Hall steps first.

Chat swooped down onto the platform,as he retracting his staff and assumed his place beside Ladybug. He started waving to the crowd, but frowned as he recognized a familiar face. His ears twitched and his tail stood on end. Théo Barbot hadn't exactly left the best impression on him the last time they met, even before Hawkmoth had granted the man an Akuma that had mimicked his own Chat powers for his own Copycat. Clearly the man was overjoyed at the prospect to be in the presence of Ladybug again.

Ladybug had clearly noticed Chat Noir's dismay. Or perhaps it was the slight growl he just realized was coming from him. Ladybug set her hand atop his right claw. "Settle down, Kitty."

Chat's eyes narrowed, but the sting of his irritation was mollified by her touch. "Just hoping we're not about to get a copycat perfurmance here."

Ladybug sighed, lifting her hand from his, and tucking it onto her hip and smiling out to the assembled crowd as the Mayor droned on with their praises.

Chat settled down at her side, his ears still twitching. There was so much noise with the crowd that it was hard for his heightened senses to focus. Something still felt off, even if it was impossible or unlikely for Théo to be Akumatized again, based upon what they had seen from the Akuma before. Plagg had to be feeling this too, if the wave of his tail was any indication.

Before he knew it, the Mayor had grabbed his hand, making a big production of shaking it - and him - for the cameras. Ladybug was shaking Theo's hand in thanks, as a giant sheet was pulled off the newest sculpture installation at the park across the street.

The crowd fell to oohs and ahhs as the sheet was not the only surprise. A few handlers released four strategically placed boxes of butterflies into the air.

Chat frowned, but was pleased to note that Ladybug was also standing a bit straighter herself. The sight was pretty for sure, but butterflies were absolutely no good thing in their world.

They both looked at each other for one fleeting moment before, focusing desperately out at the hundreds of butterflies to see or to sense anything amiss from them.

The Mayor had to wave his hand in front of Chat Noir's face just to get his attention, as an aide handed over a medallion into his hands. He blinked and put it on over his head. Ladybug was already wearing hers, but he could tell from just her eyes that she was already planning.

"Thank you for the medallion. And the statue, of course." Ladybug spoke warmly, but her subtle movements spoke volumes, as her legs primed to make the jump back up to the roof and her hand was already over the yo-yo at her hip.

Chat flashed a cheeky grin to the Mayor. "Sadly, we need to dash. Villains won't pawsfor ceremonies."

The Mayor was largely unfazed by their abrupt exit. "Yes, of course. Thank you again, young heroes."

* * *

Ladybug dropped back up to the rooftops, with Chat Noir on her heels.

She had her medallion back in her hands, as Chat prowled up beside her. "I don't like this."

"Like what, my lady?"

She hefted the medal and ribbon. "These medallions. Anyone who could find these in our other lives would rightly assume who we are. It could put too many people we care about at risk."

Chat watched her closely with no small amount of awe. It was amazing how her mind was always several steps ahead. Something still felt off about this whole situation, but they could handle one thing at a time. And he at least needed to get back to the street fair before Marinette really noticed he was missing "So, where should we hide away our rewards?"

Ladybug grinned. "I had an idea about that. Think you could meet me up again a bit later today?"

He bowed, formally. "Always, my lady."

* * *

Nathalie knocked on his door for an early wake up call. "Adrien. You need to be down in the car in less than an hour."

His grumble was muffled into the mattress. Today was Sunday, and he had definitely spent longer on patrol in the wake of the celebration after everyone finally headed home. Even Plagg was still softly snoring on the pillow beside him.

Adrien had claimed an impressive stack of homework in the car ride home and retreated from his guards to the kitchen and then to his room, before heading back out onto the rooftops with his medallion.

Ladybug's idea for where to hid their medallions had been clever as always, and it would prevent anyone - particularly Hawkmoth - from actually tracking them down while actually keeping them both safe.

The Chat operated so much on instinct, and the whole celebration still had set his teeth on edge, even after Ladybug seemed to be willing to call it an evening. But the patrol showed no sign of a lingering Akuma (and no Ladybug) from the rooftops of town.

He has his head buried under the pillow for a few moments, before his cell phone alarm chimed and echoed against the walls of his room. Wasn't he supposed to be able to sleep in a bit today?

Adrien grabbed his phone and squinting at his screen, scowling at calendar flashing a reminder for another shoot. He punched his code into his smartphone to review the details.

Blinking, his eyes widened. "What? This is impossible!"

Plagg opened one weary eye in question, lifting his head the barest inch from the pillow. "What is?"

Incredulous, Adrien turned his phone around towards Plagg, tossing it far enough over that his Kwami could see with his own eyes. "It's Saturday. Again."

Author's Notes:

This is my first foray into Miraculous Ladybug. I've been doing a fair bit of writing lately, but my beta pool is for a different fandom so this work is currently not beta read until I can find someone to help me out with that, so any errors are my own right now. :)

I have not settled on a posting schedule, so updates will initially be infrequent. Thank you for your patience.


	2. Day 1a

The bright and sunny chime of her ringtone cut through the silence in the early morning light. The room descended to silence again, Tikki peeping an eye open until the second chime followed.

Desperate to drown out the noise, Marinette tugged the soft comforter up over her head but couldn't quite keep her mind from waking. Last night, she had stayed up far later then she intended, first on the rooftops of the city and then in her room, struggling through her homework. She wasn't really ready to wake up yet.

She groaned as the third chime echoed through her room.

"Marinette!" Tikki chirped, burrowing into a hole in the cover to face her young charge. "Your phone."

Marinette frowned into the half-dark, rolling onto her side. "Just give me five more minutes."

Tikki landed on her nose, her tone stern despite the high pitch. "Alya has sent you several messages."

Marinette grumbled as she kicked and wrestled her way back out from under the nest of blankets. It was way too early for Akuma to be out again so soon. Unless Hawkmoth was trying to strategically wear both she and Chat Noir down…

Tikki hovered anxiously over the desk starting to help gather her purse and clothes for the day, as Marinette sat up, snagging her phone from the bedside table.

Her mind was still fuzzy, her eyes struggling for a clear view of the too bright screen in the early morning light as she keyed in her password, loading up Alya's messages.

Marinette!

Are you even awake yet, girl?

Nino texted and asked to meet up a half hour earlier.

Marinette sighed in relief, closing her eyes and falling back onto the bed phone still in hand to sneak in another five minute nap. "It is nothing urgent, Tikki."

Tikki sighed, but kept flitting around the room, not quite willing to waste the daylight hours.

Marinette shrugged, typing Aly back. I'm up! I think I can do a half an hour early.

The response came almost immediately. I hope so, girl. Nino just told me that Adrien requested the earlier meet-up!

Blue bell eyes widened, as Marinette practically leapt off the bed. "Tikki! I need to find a new outfit!"

* * *

"All I know is that Nino has been watching him for any sign. Adrien mentioned all three of us by name." Alya arched a brow meaningfully. "And as I am Nino's girlfriend and Nino is one of his best friends…"

Marinette bit her lip. "And I am your best friend. What if he's just being polite?"

Alya bumped her shoulder with a grin. "Have confidence. Some of the best relationships start as friendships. And I should know."

"Yeah," Marinette whispered absently. "But you did have a bit of help."

"Well, yes." Alya conceded. "Ladybug did give us a solid push in the right direction. But all of our talking was on our own. Nino was entirely sweet all on his own. But most of all, everything was really, really comfortable. Talking to him felt easy and natural."

Marinette was watching her friend with a smile, but felt the prickling of her own fears clouding her mind. She was so awkward and so clumsy around Adrien. What if that meant she shouldn't even hope for anything in the relationship direction with him?

Alya must have sensed her growing anxiety. "It is why it is such a good thing that you are interacting with him more as friend. You should get to know him better as he really is."

"I'd like to. But it is really hard to ask when I can barely string a few words together." Marinette's smile fell. "But it is really hard to ask when I can barely string a few words together. It is because he is so kind that I am so clumsy around him."

"That butterfly in your stomach feeling doesn't really go away, you know?" Alya murmured. "It just settles down a bit and the happiness of just being together kind of pushes the nervousness away for a while."

"I can't even—"

Alya cut her off. "If you can stand up to Chloe and be an amazing Class Rep, you can talk to him. You just always seem to lose confidence whenever he is concerned. And while that is totally adorable and endearing to those of us paying attention, it clearly bothers you. And I really want you to be happy, Marinette."

Marinette leaned back in her seat, wishing she could borrow her alter ego's confidence more in dealing with Adrien. Maybe Tikki would have some better idea how to-

"Maybe you just need to pretend he is someone else."

"Who else should I pretend he is?" Marinette scrunched up her nose. Alya was right. She really didn't have any issue talking to any of the other boys. Even Chat Noir was a breeze to talk to—when she wasn't rolling her eyes at the steady stream of puns. She shook her head. "I'm not sure. It seems little unfair to him to pretend like he was someone else."

Alya's brow had furrowed, until a slight smirk broke through the clouds that had gathered on her face. "Well…"

"Yes?"

"You could always pretend he was in his underwear."

* * *

Adrien hoped that the others would show some sort of sign that anyone else was going through this day a second time. It felt so real. The photo shoot had been so identical, it was uncanny. It was like he was just going through the motions and watching a video of his life pass by.

He sighed, still sitting in the car until Nino arrived. He didn't mind walking around on his own, but the crowd would be bad enough and it was nearly impossible for him to not be recognized after his Father's last ad campaign that had his face plastered over all of Paris. If he had any hope of some time to himself, he needed to stay out of view for now.

Adrien frowned, wishing he had some way to consult Plagg further somewhere quiet before Nino arrived. At least his Kwami was on the same page with this uncanny sense of déjà vu before they left the house this morning.

But Nathalie noticed he seemed unsettled earlier and made a point to ride with him in the back of the car, so he'd been unable to chat with Plagg. If he understood everything correctly, Akuma definitely had the capability to make things feel real, even if temporarily. That alone lent more weight to his theory that Hawkmoth was behind this. Who else could even make this possible?

When Nino finally appeared, waving at the glass outside his car window, Adrien grinned. "I'll have my cell phone if you need me."

Nathalie barely looked up, but silently nodded from her seat.

"Morning, Adrien."

"Morning." Adrien eyes were trained on Nino. "How did you sleep?"

Nino shrugged. "Okay, I guess. I was working on a new mix last night, and totally got this awesome riff idea in my head that I had to record before I lost it. It had to be late when I crashed. You?"

Adrien frowned. Surely Nino would have mentioned something a little more…relevant if he was seeing everything again. He shook his head when Nino started noting his silence. "I had to be up super early for a photo shoot, so I couldn't crash too late."

"That sucks, man. Between that and all the food you miss out on…"

Adrien nodded. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he subtly scoured the pockets of crowd that had gathered. Plagg was tensed into higher alert in his pocket.

"And all the girls, man."

Adrien blinked and felt immediately guilty. He had only been halfheartedly listening. "Girls are kind of a challenge for me, though. That's the hazard of all of those ad campaigns. Do you know how annoying it is dealing with those girls who just want an autograph?"

Nino shrugged. "I know you didn't ask for that sort of attention. But, I gotta say, it is pretty awesome getting attention from just one girl."

The sigh from Adrien spoke volumes. Ladybug held him at a distance. He never really got to work with girls in the classroom all that often, and when he did Chloe tried often to monopolize his attention. Alya was easy to work with, probably because he and Nino were such good friends. The only other girl he spent any amount of time with was Marinette, who was still so oddly standoffish. It seemed like that initial bad first impression was still working against him. It was really too bad, she was so kind to everyone else. It seemed like—especially given his alter ego and Ladybug's hard-line stance on keeping their secret identities a secret—a girlfriend just wasn't in his cards for now. Not that he would really even have the time to give a girl that special to him the time she deserved.

"Speaking of." Nino grinned, nodding towards the bus stop. Alya and Marinette were walking towards them both. Alya was smiling brilliantly back (at Nino, Adrien assumed) whereas Marinette face was bright red. She must have been running to the bus stop, to meet his earlier time meet up request.

He shuffled a bit guiltily at having made her life more difficult. Marinette was probably the only person in school more likely to run late to class than he was.

Adrien's eyes widened as Marinette and Alya passed through enough of the crowd. The earlier start and the new conversations he had started aside, Marinette's outfit was actually different. Her actual color selections had been different, and she had opted for a ladybug spot pattern scarf, no doubt for the day's celebration. He had been taxing his memory as the day progressed but nothing else stood out so much that he hadn't actually altered. Maybe he wasn't the only one affected after all. But why would Marinette have also been immune?

Nino bumped him on the shoulder. Clearly, he was weirding everyone out by staring.

"Sorry!" Adrien murmured, threading his fingers into his hair with a sheepish smile. "It that a new outfit, Marinette?"

* * *

Marinette shuffled over to the food market at Adrien's side, trying very studiously to avoid his eyes. And basically everything else related to what she was trying to keep from imagining again.

Why did Alya have to mention that particular tactic of all possible things? Her poor mind kept drifting back to her only frame of reference, where Ladybug had found Adrien mid-shower when Simon Says attacked, leaving everything to her far-too-active imagination. She short circuited then, and words were just not going to happen right now.

Marinette pinched herself. She had to collect herself enough to duck away from Adrien and assume her alter ego. They would notice if she didn't show up for the second celebration in a row held in her and Chat Noir's honor. "Ouch!"

When she dared to look up, Adrien looked concerned. "Are you alright, Marinette?"

"I—" she looked away, looking for a booth that would give her almost everything on her list and might return a bit of her composure as a bonus. "Yes. I was jostled a bit in this crowd. I don't think I expected so many people."

"Yeah. Although, I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise. Ladybug has done so much to help so many people."

Marinette couldn't suppress a smile at that. "Chat Noir, too. He's a bit of a flirt and a show off, but I don't think she could have managed to do nearly so much without him."

His eyes narrowed, as they wheeled towards the nearest market booth. They stood in companionable silence for a few minutes as they waited their turn in the line. The shopkeeper took their order and within the minute, their hands were loaded down with the pile of snacks. When she dared to look up, he looked a bit puzzled. "That's right. You got to work a bit with Chat Noir, didn't you?"

Marinette bit the inside of her cheek. Answering questions about her partner was always far more complicated. "Only enough to appreciate what he must mean to her. It can't be easy being a superhero, but at least she doesn't have to do it all on her own."

Adrien's jaw had dropped, stunned.

"What?" She was suddenly anxious, mentally replaying her words. What had she said that was so surprising? It was easy enough to string words together when speaking of her loyal partner.

"Ah. The drinks. We forgot them." Adrien handed her the bag. "I'll…I'll head back and get them."

Marinette nodded, watching him turn back to the market for a few moments longer than necessary. Silently cursing Alya, she tapped her forehead to clear away the inevitable picture that had started to form, before she ducked back into the nearest alley to transform. She could always stash the bag away on the rooftop until Ladybug made her grand exit.

* * *

"Ugh." Plagg snuck out of the hiding place in Adrien's dark over shirt in the dark of the alleyway, gasping a bit for air. "Are you happy enough now that no one else seems to be aware?"

Adrien raised a brow. "I think it seems safe to eliminate anyone else I've had contact with so far. But it is really making me wonder what might have caused the repeat."

"We're continuing with the plan to follow as closely as possible to yesterday?" Plagg inquired. "It is safest to just act as you did yesterday."

"But Ladybug—"

Plagg sighed, tapping his tiny paw awkwardly on Adrien's shoulder. "Safer to wait and see, I think. What if you told her and your actions cause a chain of events that puts her in harm's way?"

Adrien grit his teeth, reluctantly agreeing as he moved his hand up into position. Some things came with an unacceptable level of risk. He'd have to figure this out for himself for now. "Plagg! Claws out!"


	3. Day 1a (continued)

Ladybug stood up from stowing the snacks just in time to catch Chat Noir bounded across the roofs and into view. Moving over to the edge of the roof, she could hardly suppress a smile at the sight. Sometimes her partner truly reminded her of a kitten, bounding after a ball of yarn.

Chat sprang almost directly to her side, before bending slightly in a formal bow and reaching over to drop a kiss onto her gloved knuckles. "My lady?"

Ladybug pulled back her hand with a put upon smile. "Are you ready to make a grand entrance, Chat?"

He frowned, surprisingly somber—at least for Chat Noir. His eyes narrowed, head tilted as if he was uncertain of the words. That was certainly a rarity for him. "Does any of this seem...familiar to you?"

Ladybug shrugged, listening to the noise and milieu below for their queue to enter. "The fanfare? Not really. I've always been more partial to the quiet thank yous. And I missed the statue ceremony, remember?"

Chat scowled. "Believe me. I hadn't forgotten that day. It's just..."

"The time has come for the people of Paris to welcome our heroes…"

"Sorry, Chat." Ladybug frowned, spooling up her yo-yo to snag the nearby edge of the roof. "Shall we continue this later?"

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Mayor Bourgeois intoned through the loudspeaker, "just one year ago, two heroes descended upon Paris and have spent an amazing amount of time protecting our fair city from an unknown source of evil."

A chorus of cheers rose up from the crowd as Ladybug dropped onto the City Hall steps first.

Chat Noir straightened his posture as he dropped to the platform between Théo and Ladybug and retracted his staff into his hands.

What was only yesterday (technically) an exciting and flattering ceremony for both he and his Lady, was quickly growing into a chore. It was like the modeling. When it was shiny and new, it held some appeal. But the tedium grew old fast. Stand just so. Pose just here. Drink this. Don't eat that. Remember every single glance from yesterday and hope to both see some sign of the Akuma. Don't move a muscle from where you stood yesterday so you don't alert the Akuma that you're onto them.

Subtly chewing the inside of his lip, Chat kept himself occupied evaluating the assembled players. It was going to be a challenge on his own. Right now he couldn't expect that his Lady was as equally aware as he was now. Theo was super suspicious, and already had a track record of getting Akuma-tized. But last time, he was set off by Ladybug not attending, and by his own assertions of something brewing with Ladybug.

It was taking a fair amount of effort to not scowl, but Theo seemed to be fully engrossed in unveiling his statue and not paying nearly as much attention to his Lady.

His lips flattened into a thin line, as Ladybug treated Théo to a smile and the man's face brightened instantly. He barely had a moment to register his own dismay, to stifle the sheer animal instinct of a growl that rumbled in his throat.

He blinked, registering the soft weight of her hand resting above his claws.

"Settle down, Kitty."

Chat's eyes met shocking blue, and he felt himself gulp under the weight of her stare. How had he forgotten about that? What was it that he said to her yesterday? He breathed, drawing a half step closer to her to set her as off balance as he felt in that moment. "Just hoping we're not about to get a copycat purrfurmance here."

Ladybug's sigh was audible to his preternatural hearing in spite the loud crowd. Chat smirked as she rolled her eyes up to the sky, lifting her hand from his. Her reactions were nearly as enjoyable as crafting the puns. And it served to give them both a temporary distance to keep focused on the task. For his own part, he definitely had a hard time keeping his hands off of Ladybug, even if only in the chastest way possible. His eyes chased the path of her fingers back onto her hips, enjoying the glowing smile the overtook her features as she gazed out to the assembled crowd as the Mayor droned on with their praises. It seemed he wasn't the only one with that particular problem.

Chat settled down at her side, his ears twitching as he forced his focus past. There had to be hundreds of people gathered. If this was an Akuma—and really what else had this kind of power—it was like searching for a needle in a haystack. This was unusual. Hawkmoth's villains were usually flashy; big targets bringing chaos to the streets of Paris.

It seemed like the whole of the class had arrived after he and Marinette had veered off to grab food for Nino and Alya. Even Principle Damocles and several of the parents and teachers could be spotted among the crowd. Marinette must not have managed to wind her way back through the dense crowd to Nino and Alya before the ceremony started.

* * *

He was still looking out in the crowd, when the Mayor had grabbed his hand, making a big production of shaking it - and him - for the cameras. Ladybug was shaking Theo's hand in thanks, as a giant sheet was pulled off the newest sculpture installation at the park across the street. Chat was pleased to note that he was at least taller than Ladybug on this particular sculpture.

Chat set his jaw and took a half step forward, knowing that the next part would likely be critical. Four handlers each released four strategically placed boxes of butterflies into the air. His eyes scanned each of the boxes as they were released. These butterflies were not immediately recognizable as the Akumatized violet and black not were they the purified stark white; these were an entire festival of colors with flashes of violet and black and white that caught and demanded his attention. Of course, each box had at least a few of the colors, so we was already separating his attention four ways just trying to puzzle out if any Akuma were hiding in the mix.

He had hardly noticed Ladybug was also standing a bit straighter herself. The sight was pretty for sure, but butterflies were absolutely no good thing in their world.

They both looked at each other for one fleeting moment before, focusing desperately out at the hundreds of butterflies to see or to sense anything amiss from them.

The Mayor had to wave his hand in front of Chat Noir's face just to get his attention, as an aide handed over a medallion into his hands. He blinked and put it on over his head. Ladybug was already wearing hers, but he could tell from just her eyes that she was already planning.

"Thank you for the medallion. And the statue, of course." Ladybug spoke warmly, but her subtle movements spoke volumes, as her legs primed to make the jump back up to the roof and her hand was already over the yo-yo at her hip.

Chat flashed a cheeky grin to the Mayor, ready to follow Ladybug back to the rooftops. "Sadly, we need to dash. Villains won't paws for ceremonies."

The Mayor simply nodded, shouting after them. "Yes, of course. Thank you again, young heroes."

* * *

The weight of the medallion heavy in her hand, Ladybug stared off the roof of City Hall into the near endless maze of rooftops that marked the Paris skyline. Chat had been acting very oddly all day, something had clearly been bothering him before the ceremony.

She frowned, fleetingly wishing to transform and talk with Tikki about what she saw. The butterfly tribute from the statue had actually been really disconcerting. Was that seeing butterflies for the the rest of her life was going to be like?

Ladybug shook her head, trying to re-gather her thoughts as she paced the rooftop. Chat would be up here in only a moment and she would have to get whatever was bothering him out of him quickly, so she could get back down to her friends below. Catching a glimpse of the bag she'd stashed away out of the corner of her eyes, she panicked slightly as Chat Noir landed softly on the ledge of the roof. "Ahh!" Her eyes widened, she moved with a purpose to block the bag from his view. Who knows what might happen if Chat Noir recognized her civilian side bag? Or the fact that the stitching on the outside was clearly embroidered with her own name. Pursing her lips, she tapped a finger to her mouth to cover any hint of her more awkward identity, making a mental note to pull that stitching out tonight and place it on the inside of the bag. "What was it you were saying earlier, Chat?"

Chat was looking at the timer on his miraculous, before he gazed up at her from hooded eyes and from a greater distance than he usually granted her. "I think it can wait for a little while. I know I need to get back before someone notices I am away."

Ladybug tugged her medallion up over her neck and lay it back in her hands, as Chat prowled up beside her. "I don't like this."

"Like what, my lady?"

She hefted the medal and ribbon, twirling it between her fingers as Chat neared. She only hoped she could distract him from the bag still behind her. "These medallions. Anyone who could find these in our other lives would rightly assume who we are. It could put too many people we care about at risk."

Chat beamed down at her. It was as if whatever was bothering him had suddenly disappeared. "So, where should we hide away our rewards?"

Ladybug grinned. "I had an idea about that. Think you could meet me up again a bit later today?"

"Always, my lady." He bowed, formally before peering up at her. "How does 7:30 pm at the Eiffel Tower sound to you?"

"I—" Ladybug gaped at him. "Yes. But how did you know what I-?"

"Great minds, my lady." He tapped his head twice, before turning on his heel with a wide, wild smile and bounding onto a neighboring roof.

* * *

Tugging the backpack onto her shoulders, Marinette whispered to Tikki. "That was super weird."

Tikki flit through the air by her ear in the shadow of the alleyway, hovering just above her shoulder. "I agree. Chat Noir was acting very oddly."

"Well," Marinette hedged. "I'll talk with him more about that later. I just don't like the medallions. I have enough trouble trying to keep you hidden during the day. Carrying the medallion everywhere just seems risky." She bit her lip. "Between Chat Noir's weird behavior and the huge flock of butterflies they released, I just started to get a bit more worried."

Tikki nodded sagely. "Chat Noir's miraculous actually has very good instincts. He must be sensing something that I'm not able to, which is troubling by itself."

Marinette frowned.

"Marinette!"

Marinette jumped as Alya's shout rang through the alley. Her eyes widened, just in time to catch a glimpse of Alya speeding past. "Oh, no! How did I forget? Tikki, hide!"

Tikki dove into the pocket of her backpack, as Marinette sped towards the entrance. If she ran, she could catch up to Alya before she got too far. "Alya!"

Alya turned back at her call, relief clear on her face. "Where did you go, Marinette? You missed the whole ceremony."

Laughing sheepishly, Marinette tugged a stray lock back behind her ear as they walked back down towards City Hall. "The crowd was a bit too crazy. I stepped back to get a better view, until I realized I still couldn't see. Then when I came back to try to find Adrien, I couldn't see him. He ran back for drinks and…"

Alya chuckled, patting her shoulder. "Girl, you're hopeless."

* * *

Adrien paced his room. "Where should we even start patrolling?"

Plagg was busy munching through his second hunk of Camembert. "Just around City Hall, I think."

"And the statue, I suppose." Adrien grimaced, turning his back so he wouldn't have to watch—or smell—Plagg eat. He was never more thankful that he had packed a ridiculous amount of Camembert into his mini-fridge. Plagg was proving more and more gluttonous by the day. Luckily, that stockpile should allow him more time to patrol before he was due to meet up with Ladybug that evening. He had asked his chef chef to prepare Dinner earlier and claimed a solid pile of homework to deter Nathalie. "But I'm not even sure what I should be looking for. Ladybug has always been better at this sort of detection."

"No choice." Plagg countered, finishing off his current morsel. "It seemed like you're the only one who is currently aware of the way time is repeating. You can talk to her at the tower, but you need to be able to remember everything you can."

Adrien sighed, looking to his schoolbooks. Plagg was right on that mark. All the work he had done the day before was gone. Luckily, it would take very little time to repeat the homework, and without a better starting place they would need every spare minute they could get.

* * *

Shivering slightly, Ladybug stood upon one of the towers highest platforms, one not accessible by the general public, scanning the arches above for an ideal hiding place. The wind whipped against the platform that always seemed to have a startling calm whenever an Akuma was near. It was funny. She never expected that a ladybug might have instincts, but she definitely had an uncanny sixth sense that warned her whenever her partner was nearby.

She watched as Chat Noir made the final bound into the Tower grounds before scampering up the side. It was always a bit easier when they both were swooping up the long distance together. But even on his own, his suited strength was impressive. His fighting staff didn't have quite the range or flexibility of her yo-yo. His claws scraped against the metal as he finally reached her platform, and she turned her focus again upwards, scanning the rafters. "Hello again, Chat."

"A purr-fect evening, whenever you are nearby, Bugaboo."

Marinette was glad for her alter-ego's mask. The night was chilly, and heat radiating off of her far too flirtatious partner was more than a bit appealing. "It's a bit cold for me, Cat."

Chat Noir frowned. "I'm afraid I can't really offer you anything for the chill, my lady. Not without transforming anyways."

Ladybug smiled softly. There really was a gentleman—somewhere in there. "Then let's find a good place to hide these and find a warmer place to chat."

He nodded, pointing up to a small outcropping on the side with a series of hooks. "What about up there?"

Spooling out her yo-yo, she latched onto a nearby beam, Chat grabbing onto her shoulders at the last moment before they both snapped up to the beam. It was sheltered from view and from the elements. She blinked. She would be hard pressed to find a better location if she was here all night.

He offered his medallion in his claws, gripping the beam with his other hand.

"This will certainly do," she spoke, grabbing his medallion and placing it on the hook beside her own. The slight change in warmth at her back spoke of his now free hand spotting her. "When did you find this?"

"That is a long story." Chat smiled slightly. "Why don't we find someplace warmer to talk first?"

* * *

"So, everything repeated for you?" Ladybug murmured. Her eyes narrowed out into the distance, as her legs hung over the ledge.

But Chat Noir couldn't quite sit still. "Not everything, and not exactly an identical repeat."

"What changed?"

He frowned. "Smaller things, mostly. But I'm not sure if all of that wasn't because of my reaction."

Ladybug glanced up at him, watching for some sign of a ruse or a joke, but none came. It made far too much sense, especially given his strange new ability to pick exactly the ideal places she would choose. "And this is the first time you had this repeat?"

Chat nodded. "It is too real for the first day to have been some sort of dream. And since no one else seems to remember it, I'm not sure what else to believe."

She pulled her legs back up, setting her arms on top of it and tilting her head thoughtfully. "I wish I could talk to Tikki. I wonder if she knew of anything other than an Akuma that might have that sort of power."

He sighed. "My Kwami didn't have any immediate recollection. And I didn't sense an Akuma, either. Things just felt…off on both days."

"Did you see anything else suspicious?"

"No." Chat crouched down on the ledge beside her. "There was such a crowd of people that I hardly knew who to focus in on. Théo was immediately suspicious because of his track record, but he seemed more focused on you."

She didn't bother to stifle her smile.

"And the statue. I went back and checked it before I came over this evening, and I didn't sense anything."

"Well, if I remember correctly," Ladybug mused, "Théo seemed to be dating someone the last time I saw him, so unless that went awry, I don't think Hawkmoth would try to Akumatize him again. Assuming he even is able to do so."

Chat sat down, settling his weight back against the inside ledge. "I hadn't thought of that. But Hawkmoth tends to go for big and flashy. This seems new. And without a real, clear target..."

Ladybug nodded, implicitly understanding. They had no way to fight what they couldn't see. Even Sabrina's Akumatized form—the Vanisher-presented a target they could fight eventually. "I wonder if I will remember this all tomorrow."

His brows furrowed. "I still don't really understand why it repeated for me today."

She smiled slyly, batting at the bell at his neck. "Cheer up, Kitten. Tomorrow is another day."

He groaned at her joke, but couldn't help but be entranced by the glimmer that lingered in her eyes. "I can only hope so, my Lady."


	4. Day 1e

It had been days.

Scratch that. It had been the same day, over and over again.

Adrien groaned into his pillow, struggling to wake up. He was sorely tempted to just play hooky for the day - or at least just until Chat Noir would need to make his mid-day appearance. He bundled up under the covers and wondered absently how he might convincingly fake illness to Natalie without actually getting her to come into the room to check him for fever.

He was certainly sick...of the repetition. Even with Plagg, even with the extra, late night patrols that he and Ladybug had run, they had basically nothing to show for it outside of mental exhaustion. Everything looked the same. Sure there were minor changes in his own interactions, but outside of that personal interaction, there was no real change.

Carding his fingers through sleep mussed hair, Adrien sighed and shuffled over to his computer. It wasn't like either he nor Plagg had any real idea what they should be watching. One (suited) pair of eyes could only do so much. Besides, he had no reliable way to contact Ladybug when she was not transformed.

He needed to try something new. For his sanity if nothing else.

His pool of clever ideas were tapped. Plagg had taken to offering off the wall suggestions-like tailing his lady home from patrol-that were far too risky.

But, he couldn't do that without putting his Lady at risk. He wasn't willing to, even if wasn't explicitly against her wishes to keep their identities hidden. But he needed help and there were things we couldn't say as Adrien without getting truly odd looks from his friends.

Plagg peered over his shoulder, before zipping back over to his bed in a huff. "Ugh. Just send the silly thing. You know she will help."

Adrien's fingers hovered over the keyboard anxiously. What if this was actually risky? What if it was better to work this through just with Ladybug? What if it put his friends at risk?

Plagg sighed and bounced atop Adrien's hand over the mouse, sending the message along.

"Plagg!" Adrien hissed. He couldn't afford to shout, not if he was playing ill.

* * *

Nino yawned into the scarf. It was still way too cold, and way too early for him to be up. The sky still had the light red streaks of early dawn and his bed was already calling back to him to sneak in a few more hours. But when the girlfriend calls, you answer.

Especially when she promises to bring you coffee.

Alya quirked a brow and handed him his coffee, taking a fortifying sip of her own.

They had the whole of the rooftop, but the moment he saw her shivering too, Nino made a point to huddle even closer.

"So, Babe, what was so amazing that made it necessary for you to pull me out of bed this early."

Alya grinned as fished a slightly shaky hand into her coat pocket. "We needed to get here early for the best view."

Nino followed her eyes on the horizon, nearly dropping his precious caffeine fix as he grabbed for his own camera. The figure in black was nothing if not distinctive pole vaulting over the rooftops in the early morning light.

Alya was right. This footage would be amazing. Absently he wondered if he could get Ladybug and Chat Noir to appear in another film effort. It was just a matter of time before someone at school was Akumatized again, anyways.

She pulled up the pic on her phone, her grin bordering on predatory. "You poor, naive thing. You gave me so many hints. So many. I can have your identity narrowed down in a couple of days for sure."

Chat Noir shrugged, entirely unconcerned-or at least feigning it quite well. "Not that it will matter tomorrow."

Alya blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that this day keeps repeating." Chat crossed his arms and leaned against the edge of the roof. "This is the sixth version of today. At least as far as I know. Best I can tell, it is an Akuma."

Nino sipped his coffee before he spoke up. "So what do you need us for?"

Chat grinned. "I need eyes. Or more accurately, cameras. I've only been able to do so much with one pair of eyes."

"One?" Alya crossed her arms. "You're telling me that Ladybug-"

"She doesn't remember either." Chat sighed, threading his claws into the wild locks behind his ears.. "I'm still not really sure why I do..."

Alya tilted her head. "So we get you footage and meet you somewhere?"

"No." He stiffened, straightening his posture suddenly. "I mean, not necessarily. You have your blog and what I need right now is footage of today's ceremony. That when things started to feel off to me."

Nino grinned. "And if we just happen to get two killer views, all the better, right?"

Chat nodded. "If you spot something weird, it is just part of your usual day. I'll watch what you post."

Alya smirked. "You know sometimes we get submissions, too, right? Maybe it will inspire others to be looking as well."

Chat hedged, suddenly skittish. "Just...be careful. All this not knowing is making me anxious. I need to find out what we are up against. But any big changes might make whoever this is aware that someone is on to them."

Nino frowned. "I don't really see the harm-"

"Neither do I. I've seen smaller changes without much issue, but who knows what a bigger change might do?" Chat was uncharacteristically sober, arms crossed and stalking back and forth across the edge of the roof. "My powers don't typically enhance the details and looking ahead for where all the dominos might fall. This all is more of Ladybug's specialty."

Alya pressed her lips together. "You think Ladybug is keeping tabs on my blog."

"She is definitely aware of it, but I'm not sure how often she checks it. If I mention the issue to her, she's sure to also head in your direction." Chat inclined his head thoughtfully, turning back towards their corner. "You have an idea?"

"My girl, Marinette, has a killer eye for details."

Nino hummed his approval. "Seriously. You should see some of her designs."

Ears perked up and green eyes wide, Chat halted in place but couldn't keep his claws from fidgeting. "I've met her a few times before...but I never got the chance to talk to her for long."

Alya smiled, her eyes clearly drawn to the anxious flick of his tail. "We should be meeting up with her and with Nino's friend, Adrien, for the ceremony."

Nino met her eyes. "Dude is crazy smart. I'm sure both would be more than willing to help out. Lend an extra pair of eyes or help spot anything off."

"Adrien Agreste?" Chat blinked. "I've worked with him before as well. Maybe it might be easier to talk to them both directly...might be able to get them to cover some additional ground."

Alya met his eyes and they both nodded. "Seems like a good plan."

Chat looked out over the city, positioning himself to run across the rooftops in the proper direction. "Think you could show up to the ceremony a bit earlier?"

Nino shrugged. "We're already up. We could totally head over now-"

"No." Chat leapt forward closing the gap between them. Nino wasn't sure he ever remembered seeing Chat this close before. And never this close to battle-ready mode.. "I'm serious. Small changes only. Any hint of it might risk all of your safety. Or Ladybug's. And neither is an acceptable option for me."

Alya patted Chat on the shoulder. "We get it. We just want to help out. It isn't every day that superheroes ask for your help."

Chat nodded. "I'm glad you are both so willing to help."

Pride sparkled in his girlfriend's eyes. She was totally over the moon to be able to put her talents to good use in aid of her favorite heroes. "Helpful hint, though. Hit up Adrien first."

"Why?"

"Marinette is super hard to wake up on the weekends." Alya crossed her arms with a faint smirk. "I speak from way too much experience."

* * *

It had been such a lovely dream.

The details were hazy but they had left her staring up into those so familiar green eyes. The warmth of his hands at his shoulders sending a thrill arching down her spine, lighting every nerve to full awareness. Had she ever felt this warm before?

She sighed and would have been satisfied to just stay there, lost in those eyes for half an eternity. She would not have even hoped for more, until that those eyes dipped lower.

Marinette didn't dare to breathe, but couldn't stifle her own gasp as she felt the slightest tug forward, urging her lips ever closer to his.

Who was she to fight the inevitable? With a sigh, she let her eyes slide shut to focus instead on her other senses.

The puff of his breath warming her cheeks. The soft rustle of fabric and the hitch of an inhaled breath. Had that been his or was it hers?

The unmistakable scent of peppermint...and something that she was struggling to place. She breathed deeply, anxious to commit even the slightest detail to memory.

She winced, groaning at the sudden prick of pain suddenly on her shoulder.

Her eyes fluttered open. Into another, very familiar pair of green eyes.

Just not the pair she had been expecting to see.

Gasping forcefully, her urge to scream was met with the barest resistance from a leather glove. "Try not to scream, Princess."

Marinette's eyes widened, gathering her blanket in around her and ducking away from his glove. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "What are you doing here, Chat Noir?"

"I'm here to enlist your help for a secret mission. Alya and Nino even suggested it."

 _Secret Mission?_ Marinette arched a suspicious brow. "So you were just hovering over my bed?"

His lips curved into that maddening smile. "Alya said you'd be difficult to wake up. I've been here for about fifteen minutes taxing my brain."

She definitely was awake now. "That must have hurt."

"It wasn't exactly like I could announce that I was here." Chat murmured, with a wry smile. "Which reminds me, you ought to keep the door to your roof looked. I kept puzzling out options that wouldn't bring your parents running upstairs, so jumping on the bed and shouting at you were definitely out."

"So you got right up in my face?"

Chat nodded. "After spending quite a few minutes trying to shake your shoulder, sure. I mean, what better way to wake up a Princess than a kiss?"

Marinette rolled her eyes as he waggled his eyebrows. "The alarm would have worked, you know. Eventually."

Chat smiled. "Definitely an option for next time."

 _This Kitten. Honestly._ Marinette huffed in frustration. "Why would you think there would be another opportunity?"

Chat grin widened. "Funny you should ask that, Princess..."

Author's Notes:

My muse is up and running again. Real Life just spent the last month kicking me, and I'm glad to be up and at it again.

Thank you for the lovely comments and feedback! This fandom is really so supportive. Even when I hasn't had much time to write, you have helped keep me focused on the end goals. 3


	5. Day 1e (continued)

Chat bounded anxiously over the rooftops. He knew where he was going having actually been there more often than he realized to fight Akuma.

But how exactly were you supposed to actually wake up a girl? He couldn't very well get in easily.

More to the point, Alya seemed way too amused, which didn't really bode well for him.

He sighed. Maybe he should have pressed her to call Marinette and warn her a visitor was coming. At least one of the benefits of this awful repetition was that he could keep re-trying the little things in life until he got it right. No one else would know if he screwed up big but him.

Well, he and Plagg. So if he screwed up, Plagg would be sure not to let him forget it.

Touching down on the familiar rooftop, he tried to make a little extra noise, hoping it might wake her up and draw her upstairs to investigate.

The rooftop door was unlocked, but Chat wasn't exactly sure that he should dare enter a girl's room while she slept. He started to collect pebbles at the edges of the rooftop, flinging them at her sunroof with a satisfying plink.

* * *

After a full fifteen minutes had passed, he was starting to abandon hope. Clearly his classmate was not a light sleeper.

The sun was starting to rise high enough to make him anxious.

Peeked in through the window to see her bundled up in bed, his nails knocking against the glass to try to grab her attention. Her nose wriggled up in clear irritation as she threw the cover over her head.

Adrien sighed, pressing his forehead against the glass before clawing his way back up to the rooftop. Maybe he'd have better luck later. Or maybe Alya would take pity on him and drop past.

His ears twitched at the chime of a bell below, as the nearby doorway to the Dupain-Cheng Bakery opened and the most amazing aromas wafted out.

Marinette's parents had been so helpful before, when Kim had gotten himself tangled up with that Akuma at the zoo. What were the odds that they might help out on another probably less dangerous secret superhero mission?

Especially one they had surely mastered long ago…  
The narrow stairs creaked as Marinette's father headed up the narrow stairs, a giant grin plastered on his face.

Marinette's mother - Sabine, she'd insisted he call her - watched him carefully as she handed him a croissant from their kitchen.

"Thank you, Sabine." He smiled genuinely.

"Anything for Paris's heroes."

Grateful, he took the smallest nibble, relishing the flaky crust and the flavor of real butter as it practically melted on his tongue.

He eyes closed as he savored the first bite and dared to steal another. The only other positive about the repetition was that he could literally ate as he so chose without fearing his nutritionist's - and his father's - wrath.

"So this secret mission of yours isn't dangerous, is it?"

"Not at all," he'd confirmed, eye now wide and watching Marinette's mother carefully. He was pleased that he wouldn't have to fib too much. Her eyes were particularly sharp. As large and intimidating as Marinette's father appeared at a glance, his senses urged him that Sabine was actually the one he needed to appease. "Ladybug and I just need as many sets of eyes as possible at the ceremony today. We are hoping that Hawkmoth stays quiet, but he did corrupt the sculptor at the last ceremony they held in our honor. Marinette's friends, Alya and Nino had already volunteered earlier this morning, but neither one had any luck reaching Marinette."

Sabine's eyes narrowed, crossing her arms over her chest unconvinced. "Hmmm..."

"I'm here to both ask for her help and to direct her to a safer place to play lookout should she accept." Shuffling anxiously under her scrutiny, Chat felt himself filling the silence she left. "Marinette has an excellent eye for details and she is very quick at thinking on her feet."

Sabine's eyes widened, tilting her head as she regarded him with careful consideration. "That is true."

Chat pressed his advantage, speaking in only the vaguest terms possible. If Marinette's mother was too anxious about the dangers, she would surely toss him out "She's spotted things in the past that have helped Ladybug and I deal with Akuma far more quickly than we might have without her help."

"I'm reaching out to her here, as I did earlier with her friends. I want to keep them all off of Hawkmoth's radar as much as possible."

He was saved by Tom returning down the stairs with a sleepy-eyed, still yawning Marinette not quite on his heels. She was dressed in red and black spotted pajamas that covered all but her bare feet. Her pigtails were sleep-mussed, but entirely presentable. And more than a little adorable, if he was being entirely honest.

"G'morning, Mom."

"Good Morning, dear." Sabine was still watching him, though thankfully now with far less suspicion. "Did your father mention to you that you have a guest?"

Marinette rubbed her eyes, blinking slowly in befuddled confusion. "Chat Noir?"

He grinned, bowing deeply. "Good Morning, Princess."

His ears perked, lips curling in deeper amusement as he heard her grumble under her breath. "It is way too early in the morning for this."

* * *

A short while later, Marinette felt far more awake, dressed and hair cleaned up, and sipping coffee in the kitchen. She didn't always drink caffeine this early. But she also didn't also have to deal with Chat Noir's antics this early either. "So what is this secret mission now?"

Chat frowned, slightly hesitant as he paced the kitchen. "You might find it a little hard to believe..."

Marinette chuckled, "after all of the Akuma that keep frequenting the school, I've learned to keep a fairly open mind."

"Well, this one is new even for me."

Her eyes narrowed. "Go on."

Chat templed his fingers. "This day keeps repeating. Over and over."

Her jaw dropped.

Okay. That one was new. And, assuming it was true, it didn't bode well for Paris. Timebreaker had needed to collect energy for the time jumps just to travel for a few minutes. What sort of energy was needed to loop and entire day all over again? "How many times now?"

"At least six for me. But who is to say how many more times it might have looped before I gained awareness of it."

"Best I can tell, it is just me. I"m not even sure why it is happening for me, but Ladybug is somehow immune to the loop."

Marinette frowned. She knew the answer, but he couldn't know she did. It was really only sensible. "And you can't contact her?"

"Not unless she is also suited up." Chat slumped back into the chair. "And when we meet up, it is always new for her."

She scratched her head. "So you need to contact her?"

"It wouldn't hurt, honestly." Chat grin was far more subdued than normal. "I didn't get to explain to her until after the ceremony itself, but it still probably wouldn't solve the problem. What I really need are eyes on the ground. Alya and Nino are already filming the ceremony, but I need at least one more set of eyes watching for any sign of Akuma or any possible other means to bring Ladybug into this loop with me."

Marinette tried to absorb all of this, wishing she had thought to bring Tikki's bag down with her. "I think I can do that."

"Anything you might see could be a real help."

"So I should go some place specific?"

Chat Noir tapped his claws on the countertop. "You should still be where you were, closer to the food vendors at the edge of the crowd with their other friend."

She frowned, biting at her lip. "Wait. The edge of the crowd? Wouldn't that make it harder to see?"

He sighed, his tail twitching a bit too quickly as he glanced up at the clock. "A bit. But I'm trying to be extremely cautious. Any pronounced change might clue in whoever is behind this that I am on to them. For right now, Ladybug and I will need every advantage we can get."

Marinette nodded. Chat's plan was making a lot of sense, and was clearly quite capable at planning, especially when he had a lot of time to consider it. "I'll do my best."

Chat's smile was infectious. "Thank you so much, Princess. I'm sure my Lady will appreciate the effort as well. But I need to be off quickly to make a few other arrangements."

She smiled, walking him out to the door. "Wait a moment. What other friend?"

"Oh." Chat blinked, scratching his claws into his hair a bit awkwardly as she opened the door for him. "Adrien, wasn't it? Some sort of model, I think. His face seemed...familiar when I talked to him earlier."

She gaped at him. "A-Adrien Agreste?"

"That must be it." Chat nodded quickly, not quite meeting her eyes as he extending his baton to bring him back up to the rooftops. "I'll stop by again later, after the ceremony sometime."

Clamping her mouth shut, she didn't dare to speak. She nodded, watching as Chat insisted on that silly two-fingered salute before vaulting back up to the rooftops.

She shook her head as she watched her kitty speed off. The fate of Paris literally rested on her forming actual words around her crush. Productive words that could actually result in them finding the Akuma. The same one that Chat had no luck with after several "days."

But only if she could manage to keep her head.

She hadn't even noticed that the door had started to close on it's own until it nearly smacked her in the forehead.

Marinette sighed, pressing her forehead to the now safely closed door.

Who was she kidding?

Clearly Paris was doomed.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Presently un-betaed but that will hopefully be fixed shortly in case of grammar and wonky punctuation.

I did manage to get a solid chunk of brainstorming in for this one, so I get to really start delving into the mystery side soon. This one is currently the most fun of my works in progress to write, so I really can't wait to have more to share with you all.

I truly appreciate those of you who have reached out with feedback. It really keeps me going with this story, even when time and real life are less than cooperative. Thank you all again for your lovely support!


	6. Day 1e (continued--again!)

"And he said you both were about right here." The courtyard in front of city hall was mostly empty, although a few other early birds and press outlets were staking a claim on their spaces.

Alya's eyes narrowed as she drained the dregs of her coffee, wincing at the bitter grinds that had settled at the bottom of the cup as Adrien not so subtly marked off their exact staging. Honestly, there were times where it was a wonder that everyone thought he was so cool and collected. "So he helped you from your house?"

Adrien scratched at the nape of his neck through the hoodie, offering an awkward half smile. "I might have been playing hooky from work. Nathalie thinks I'm still asleep in my room right now, so I don't have a huge amount of time to stay here and help before she thinks to actually check in on me."

Nino didn't even look up as he fiddled with the camera settings for optimal visibility. "How early did they schedule the photo shoot this time?"

"Six am. Which means I had to be up and out of the house at least an hour earlier. And earlier still if I wanted to get something for breakfast first."

"That's ridiculous, dude."

Alya groaned in sympathy. Bad enough that the poor boy couldn't eat like the rest of them. Apparently he wasn't allowed to sleep either.

"It could be worse, really." Adrien conceded, dropping his arms to his side. "But it just means that I need to avoid being on my usual side of the camera. Luckily, our friend in black said Marinette and I headed away from the crowd towards the food vendors, so dodging the cameras should be relatively easy."

Alya couldn't keep from grinning. Chat Noir had been hiding some great intel. Too bad he hadn't been inclined to share, so she could have worked on getting Marinette a little more into the right frame of mind first. And-assuming that he hadn't been hiding anything else major-that she'd probably not remember come the next day. Or was it the same day? Nino peered over at her subtly, unconsciously slowing the speed of his camera assembly as she shook her head, clearing her focus.

Adrien carried on, entirely oblivious. Not that that was anything new. "I guess we head over to grab snacks and drinks or something."

Nino's gaze sharpened, no longer subtle in trying to wave her off.

Alya pretended not to notice. "Drinks would be awesome. Our friend in black needs us to be super focused."

Adrien grinned over the top of his sunglasses.

"Besides," Alya's lips curled upwards, "you don't usually get to hang out with Marinette all that much. I think it would do you both good."

He frowned slightly. "I'm not sure. She always seems to avoid me a little bit."

Alya raised a very interested brow. So he had noticed after all.

"Well, man." Nino jumped in quickly, his eyes darting to hers clearly anxious to keep her from pushing things along too quickly, "you two did manage to get off on the wrong foot initially, so maybe that is part of it." Nino wouldn't meet her eyes, focusing his attention exclusively on Adrien. "She knows that she misjudged you, so maybe she just isn't entirely sure how to act around you."

She nudged into Nino's shoulder, impressed. Her boy knew how to observe and kept a surprisingly level head. "If you want to make sure that you both are understanding each other, then hanging out with her on a one-on-one basis is the best. I know that from experience."

Adrien nodded, but grew quietly introspective, watching the incoming foot traffic.

Not that she really had much time to press the issue anyhow. If Chat Noir was right, it probably wouldn't matter what they did on this particular version of the day anyways. Not unless they found some amazing scoop. Besides, if the vibration from her pocket was any indication, Marinette clearly had to be freaking out right now. She dug out her cell phone to check.

 **OMG**

 **Alya**

 **Alya why?**

 **why did you send Chat here?**

Okay. So she was panicking a lot. With a sigh, Alya's fingers flew across her keypad. _Calm down, and get down here. We're on a mission to save Paris._

 **But Adrien!**

 _Will also be on the same mission. C'mon, girl. Didn't Chat fill you in on the deets?_

 **Right but we're supposed to be alone together**

 _Working together. You'll be fine._

Alya shook her head fondly. One of these days, Marinette will look back on this and laugh. Provided she could pull herself together first.

Adrien was watching her, lips pressed firmly together. Clearly he had a bit more on his mind than he had been letting on.

"It looks like Marinette's on her way. But knowing her, she'll probably be at least a few minutes late. She's a little panicked about that." The smirk was plastered on her face, so she didn't even bother to play coy. "Did Chat mention if he had issues getting Marinette up?"

Adrien blinked, wide-eyed and looking more than a little stunned. He stared at her for more than a few moments before carefully selecting his words. "You sent him into her room to wake her up?"

Crossing her arms over her chest, she regarded him with more than a little suspicion. Adrien was surprisingly protective. Would he be doing the same for her or was there just more to it than all that? "I certainly have no reason to doubt that one hero of Paris would be on anything other than purely gentlemanly behavior, especially given the situation. I wouldn't put Marinette at risk like that."

Nino scoffed, as he locked his camera into place on the tripod. "Alya is always telling me that Marinette is just a nightmare to wake up."

"She is seriously not a morning person. I can't tell you how many times I've literally had to pull the blankets off her myself and tug her out of bed." Alya grinned fully. "And that itself could be even after I send her message after message to try to get her moving. Considering how many Akuma our friend has helped take down, I just was curious how he would be up to the challenge without waking up the rest of the block."

Adrien chuckled ruefully, although he still didn't look entirely comfortable. He scratched at the nape of his neck. "I think our friend might have mentioned something about her parents?"

"That would make sense." Alya chuckled. "Besides, Chat Noir is so obviously enamored with Ladybug that he probably doesn't even see anyone else."

Adrien coughed, suddenly focused on fussing with his hair. "You really think he is in love with Ladybug?"

"Dude?" Nino didn't even look up. The tripod assembly was nearly complete with his camera ready to load on to capture all the action on the stage. "Anyone with eyes thinks that. Especially if they've spent any time looking at Alya's Blog. I mean, I know you've seen some of the pictures, man."

"Yeah, I have, but-"

"And partners or not, Ladybug totally freaks out when he steps into the line of fire for her, especially when he takes a hit." Alya grinned over at Nino, her arms falling to her hips. "I am betting she caves one of these days. Seriously. Where there's smoke, there's fire."

"Since Alya opened it up for submissions, there have been way more pictures from the battles themselves from people with legit, super expensive camera gear." Nino spoke proudly. "Some of the lenses must be crazy to get that level of detail at a safe enough distance."

"I've missed out on way too many photo opportunities far too often not to do it, really," she mused. "My bike and I just can't always get there that fast. Who knows what we haven't been missing out on all this time. Besides, they both leave the scene super fast and they don't always head in the opposite directions."

Adrien still looked a little dumbfounded. "You've...been thinking about this a lot."

She shrugged. "Enough to write, well-researched blog posts on it."

"And ship it." Nino coughed.

Alya shrugged. "Like half of Paris ships it."

Nino chuckled. "Well, that's true."

Alya's phone buzzed. Adrien still looked more than a little bit dazed, but Nino could handle that.

 **I'm not sure I can do this.**

Alya started typing into her phone. She wanted nothing more than to tell her best friend just how protective Adrien had been. Mulling over the words, Alya thought better of it, opting instead to start from scratch. Marinette was anxious enough right now.

 _Don't get worried. Get focused._

 _Let him see you doing your level best to help Ladybug and Chat Noir._

 _Your effort will speak for itself._

 **Alya….**

 _Just pretend he is someone else to get through this. Like one of the other guys from class._

 _Our heroes are counting on us this time._

* * *

As her fingers dug into the strap of the purse that held Tikki, Marinette's feet carried her the distance without thought or much in the way of effort - it was amazing what being a superhero did for endurance and stamina - but the weight of anxiety had her subconsciously slowing her speed. She checked her phone, fretting anxiously as Alya had been slow to respond and then had told her to slip into her class rep mode.

She could do this. Probably.

She'd kept feet moving to keep from thinking too much. This all was getting her nowhere - fast.

She needed a plan. A plan helped her feel confident and in control. Exactly what would help her survive heading on to only Chat knew where with Adrien - at least until she could sneak away. And how exactly would that work?

She sighed heavily. Why wouldn't her mind move as quickly as it did in costume, instead of the circles of self-doubt she kept spinning inside?

She needed Alya to respond again. Tikki was helpful with confidence building and mission planning. But Alya had an investigator's eye and an inclination to watch for the slightest hint of hope.

Sensing Marinette's anxiety, Tikki popped her head out of the purse, when she slowed down. "Alya is right, Marinette? Why don't you pretend he's Nino? Or Chat? You don't have any trouble talking to either of them."

Marinette bit her lip. Chat was so easy to talk to, but they were almost always on mission mode. Could she just pretend that he was? Was it really that simple?

Maybe if she tried really, really hard not to look at Adrien?

Despite her indecision, she still ended up in front of City Hall before she felt prepared to handle all this.

Alya spotted her first, waving her down. "There you are, girl."

Nino and Adrien turned her way. She tried not to stumble when Adrien's smile turn full force onto her. But outside of the suit, she seemed entirely lack in that luck at the moment.

Nino - bless him - spoke to cover her misstep as Alya pulled her into their makeshift huddle. "We're just about set up here, but we can't really leave the gear. I don't want to risk losing the good position. Would you mind grabbing something for us?"

"Marinette, you should go, too." Alya made a production of bumping Marinette's shoulder with a wink. "If you leave now, you can grab something before the lines get too long."

"I-" She peeked over into Adrien's emerald eyes, and then immediately pinched herself to keep from getting lost in them. 'This is not how you interact with Chat!'

Her eyes widened as she noted with consternation that Adrien looked as bit worried on her account, sending a seeking glance over to where Alya stood.

She shut her eyes, drawing a steadying breath and plastering on a wide smile. She needed to stay calm. Stay focused. What she wouldn't do for an obnoxious pun to force her focus off balance right about now. "O-okay. Let's go."

At the first opportunity, a taller building only a half block away from City Hall, Adrien ducked into a doorway, tugging Marinette by the arm so she would follow behind him.

She studiously avoided looking at him, watching the hallways as they moved with a purposed towards the elevator.

"Are you alright?"

She smiled, but still wouldn't look his way. "Just...anxious."

"Not to worry." Adrien smiled, holding open the elevator door as she trailed behind him. She was still quiet - far quieter than she usually was in class - making him worry again that she still seemed to have some issue with him. "Need a lift?" he quipped nervously, hoping to diffuse the situation.

She looked up at him, blinking in surprise for a split second before snorting indelicately. She rolled her eyes up to the ceiling but her smile had only grown wider. "Really?"

Far more pleased than he would have like to admit, he leaned back against the elevator wall, removing the Gabriel sunglasses into the pocket of his hoodie. "Chat Noir said he had scoped this place out in advance. It is right across from City Hall and has a decent view of the stage. He said he could even get us down later if we run into any trouble getting past the guard in front once he'd back from his break."

* * *

Marinette hardly dared to breathe until the elevator doors drew back open on the rooftop level and Adrien stepped out first. Chat must have come and then gone to re-charge his Kwami before the ceremony. He'd left a bag of snacks and a pair of chairs beside the rooftop edge. "I guess he knew it wouldn't rain."

"Guess so," Adrien murmured, tugging his own chair slightly back from the edge. She raised a brow but didn't say anything as she took the second seat. "I might have played sick earlier this morning, so I'm trying to avoid recognition.

Marinette nodded, still not entirely meeting his eyes for very long. He must have been excited at the prospect of helping out Ladybug and Chat Noir to skip out on his regular schedule. "We can switch chairs if you'd like. I think this one is a little further from the crowds but has a better view of the stage."

He offered her one of the drinks from the bag as she stood up to switch seats, which she'd accepted as they fell into companionable silence people watching. It really was hard searching for some elusive...thing, when you really had no idea what to be watching for.

"Doesn't it seem weird to you, though?"

Adrien frowned. "What do you mean?"

She frowned. "This Akuma power that Chat mentioned. Assuming that is even what it is."

Adrien was silent, watching her in earnest.

Marinette shuffled uncomfortably under his scrutiny, sliding a finger through the condensation on the half-chilled bottle of juice just to stay focused. "I mean, maybe it is all the time I've spent reading over Alya's blog posts, but there was one Akuma before with a time component, right? I think Ladybug herself must have said so when Alya interviewed her a few weeks back. One that had to steal power from others just to turn back the clock, even for a few minutes. If this really is an Akuma, why it is driving it? What happened for... the villain that keeps creating the Akuma to press his advantage?"

His eyes widened, lips curving upward. "That's a really good question."

She tore her eyes away, certain she was blushing. "I know Alya has a pretty good list of the fights and it seemed like most of them could be tracked down to revenge or a darker hope for empathy and understanding - like Reflekta or Horrificator."

"With some exceptions." Adrien murmured. "I know Nino just wanted me to be able to have a birthday. My father basically kicked him out of the house and tried to keep him from being friends with me."

Marinette gaped, her hand reaching out comfortingly before she was even self-aware of the action. She retracted her hand quickly once awareness hit, and focused back across the way, and solidify blush settling permanently onto her cheeks. "I'm glad Nino has still been a good friend to you, Adrien. You deserve better than that."

His silence was deafening, despite the milieu of people in the streets below.

"Thanks, Marinette." Adrien murmured finally. "I never knew how much I needed to have people around me until I was finally able to start going to college. After Mom, well…" he trailed off. "Nino just made things really easy for me to feel like I could catch up with everyone. To not really feel like an outsider. I'm really glad he never gave up on me."

She smiled softly, daring to meet his eyes. They were that same softness he'd had that day all those many months ago - or was it a year already now? - but his focus was mercifully turned out across the way, tempering some of its force.

She felt her cheeks heat when he turned back her way and noticed her gaze. If her noticed her growing embarrassment, he was gentleman enough not to mention. "But Nino did get angry enough for Hawkmoth to press advantage. So, all that is needed is for some strong enough emotion for him to use to corrupt that person, if only briefly."

Marinette nodded. "Like a broken watch."

"Or an election they felt was stolen unfairly."

Arms crossed, Marinette settled her head down on the rooftop ledge. "But every Akuma has also been really ostentatious. A crazy costume, actively creating chaos that would draw Ladybug and Chat Noir in to help. It is so weird that there is not anything. And, considering the only other Akuma like it if it is looping, it must be taking some crazy amount of power to reset the clock. Chat must have been looking for something big. But what if it isn't?" Worrying her lip, Marinette's eyes glazed over, lost in thought now leaning back in her chair. "What if the Akuma's power is mostly consumed by resetting the day?"

"So the outfit isn't nearly so obvious or different?"

"Maybe? Maybe not."

"I can see where he would have trouble. I mean, if that's the case, where would you even start to look?"

"If the Akuma is going to all this trouble to repeat the day, there must be something particular it wants. Or wants to avoid."

Adrien hummed, frowning as he looked down at his cellphone and then back out into the crowd. "So we find out what it wants…"

"Yeah." She glanced down at her own, her foot tapping the ground restlessly. There wasn't much time left before the ceremony was due to start...and she still had to figure out some subtle way to sneak way from Adrien and transform. Her eyes darted back towards the elevator. "And once it figures how to pull that all off, it is just a matter of time before it starts to come after Ladybug and Chat Noir."

Adrien tilted his head. "But if it doesn't have powers? Wouldn't they be able to take it out easily?"

Marinette shook her head. "We're assuming that. But it probably does. It probably has all the time in the world."

* * *

Author's Notes:

I've tinkered with this chapter a lot. I'm not sure I'm totally satisfied with it, so I might do some minor edits tomorrow when I can look again with fresh eyes.

This is a super long day, honestly, but it will take a lot of set up to make the future chapters run more smoothly. I've got this rough schedule plotted out into "day 1.11" or so and the mystery is still only partly revealed. This will definitely be upwards of ten chapters, but the size and speed of the days will vary widely as different plot events occur.

Thank you so much for bearing with me during this set up and for following me despite the inconsistent updates. Your comments and reviews really mean a lot and have really kept me focused. 3


	7. Day 1e continued - once more with feels

Adrien was torn, glancing down at the clock on his cell phone screen accusingly..

On one hand, there were five more minutes until he was due on a roof across the street to meet up with Ladybug. And an extra spare moment or two with Ladybug might mean all the difference in finding and dealing with the Akuma today.

On the other, this was one of the easiest conversations he'd ever had with Marinette. She clearly had spent a long time on Alya's Ladyblog or at least applied that similar sort of video game strategy mindset to the problem at hand. What's more, she definitely seemed to be good at it.

What she was pointing out made sense. It could absolutely help him to solve this mystery and get his life - crazy though it already was - back on a more normal track.

But, more than that: it was just nice. Even just sitting up above the crowds, in relative silence, watching her clever mind at work.

Alya had been right. He really didn't get much of a chance to interact with Marinette. Even on the rare opportunity, he'd gotten to hang out with friends on an occasional weekend, he'd gotten more of an opportunity to interact with Alya.

Marinette and Alya were nearly inseparable in school. When they were together, their personalities were a force to be reckoned with. Especially when Chloe decided to be difficult, they both were the first to stand up for a perceived wrong. He himself had been on the receiving end of that ire due to that first misunderstanding.

But even that was admirable. It was admirability worthy of Ladybug's attention, even without the backing of a miraculous. Not just anyone would stand up for other students.

It made sense that Ladybug knew her. That Ladybug had sent his alter ego in Marinette's direction when Nathaniel was Akumatised.

Surely Ladybug would want to pick Marinette's brain as well.

Later. After he'd told Ladybug all that she would need to know to be watching for. After she knew what other sets of eyes they had on the ground and up here, helping them search for clues.

Coughing subtly, Adrien slid his chair back as she stood up. "I'll be back soon. I need to go-"

"Oh." Marinette faced back out onto the crowd, clearly embarrassed. "Actually, that isn't a bad idea. Who knows how long this ceremony will take?"

Adrien nodded. He did...all too well. "There is a set on the next floor down, just to the right of the elevator doors."

She smiled, a pretty blush darkening her cheeks. "I might need to head down in a few minutes myself. So if I am not here…"

"Don't worry?" He finished, smiling as she nodded. She still wasn't really meeting his eyes.

But this was easy. Remarkably, painlessly easy.

He'd just have to remember what he had done today. To hope that she would react just the same if they had to do all of this all over again.

"Got it."

* * *

Marinette scrambled, hardly waiting for the elevator doors to close before sprinting over to recall it back up.

He had given her an easy out and she wasn't about to waste it. She would still keep her eyes on the ground, just not from here. She wouldn't dare let Chat Noir down, but her absence would be noticed. She'd learned her lesson last time around.

Marinette exhaled, feeling the weight lift from her shoulders. She could think clearly again. She could breathe easily again.

She could probably even claim that Alya called her and gave her a new view to check in case he asked why she didn't come back upstairs.

She eyed the elevator ceiling for signs of a camera, but decided to err to the side of caution, waiting until she got into the restroom to transform. She hardly had a few moments to spare - certainly not enough time to talk strategy with Tikki before they needed to move. There would be plenty of time for that later. The warm red light washed over her, leaving a spike of adrenaline in its wake.

She pried open the bathroom window, enough so she could shimmy out and catch hold of building next door to obscure where she had been coming from.

There was not telling which direction her kitty would be inbound from, so caution would be required.

* * *

When she had looped back around, Chat was balanced precariously at the edge of the roof where she and Adrien had just had been standing minutes before, frowning at the empty seats.

Ladybug leapt over the building roof ledge, propelling herself to land almost at his side.

"Good Morning, M'Lady." He had dipped into an overly dramatic bow, but his eyes hadn't left the pair of chairs and the juice bottle now mostly empty. "I left a few friends here who could help us out this morning."

"Who?" Ladybug inclined her head, blinking to cover her feigned innocence. She knew she didn't lie well, but this was one lie she would need to make to protect them both.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste." He leaned against his baton, which was extended to about cane length, tapping it lightly on the rooftop. "They were doing me a favor."

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm pretty sure I just saw Marinette head to the elevator a few minutes ago. I just did a loop around the rooftops to get a sense of the crowd."

"Good," he sighed, his shoulders dropping as he exhaled. "Neither was gone for long then."

"They'll probably be back soon, then." She smiled softly, hoping it masked her fib. 'Soon' was optimistic after all. "Something we need to watch out for?" She barely bit back the 'kitten' at the end there.

Chat nodded, shooting her a relieved smile. "It's a lovely day to people watch, m'Lady. Luckily, we have quite the crowd assembled." His smile tensed, as he retracted his baton into an eager spin. Clearly they had been spotted if the restless murmur of the crowd below was any indication. "Something is off. There's not really time to explain it well enough right now, but we've got to figure out what it wants."

"It?" Ladybug repeated, her eyebrows furrowed. 'What it wants?' She had said the very nearly the exact same thing, not ten minutes before. To Adrien.

"The Akuma." Chat grinned back at her over his shoulder, before vaulting toward the City Hall roof.

Her mind was running a mile a minute, her yoyo spinning fast to stay on his heels.

But that meant…

Chat must have been lurking around close enough to overhear her speak.

* * *

The ceremony had started without issue. The mayor giving the same wordy thank you words that Chat could practically recite by heart.

Ladybug had behaved a bit oddly. But that was almost to be expected. He had changed things today, so her reaction would, of course, be slightly different. If he wasn't transformed, he might not even have noticed it.

He found his eyes straying up to that little building from time to time, searching for some sign that Marinette had found her way back up to the rooftop. Was she worried since he hadn't returned?

He sighed, hoping he could check back in with Marinette later - as Chat - to make sure she was alright. Although it would be tricky to balance that after returning home for Nathalie's periodic check in, follow up with Nino and Alya, meeting up with LB in the evening, and then, hopefully to meet with Marinette.

He forced his eyes away. To be honest he was starting to grow worried - perhaps even a bit paranoid - that someone was watching. Obviously someone was. Hawkmoth, if no one else, would be paying some attention to the days festivities. But if he was right, the Akumatized civilian was also here, too.

The mayor's assistant handed his the medals one by one, as the mayor slid the ribbons over each of their necks and offered each a hearty handshake and posed for photos.

The butterflies were released without any remarkable difference from the previous days.

It was just that heavy, uncomfortable presence that pervaded the air. It was making him feel anxious. It felt to him like the air around an Akuma, heavy and dark. But it was also subtle, muted somehow. Whether there was some merit to Marinette's theory, or whether the Akuma was watching nearby he couldn't be certain.

It wouldn't do to put Marinette in any more risk than she was just by helping in watching. He'd promised her parent's he would do all he could to ensure her safety. This was part of it, although ignoring the impulse to look back was making his palms itch beneath the suit.

* * *

Marinette plopped back into her chair, queuing up the link to the video footage Alya had posted earlier on her blog. This time, she was working through the video Nino had done of the ceremony itself.

The afternoon had been a whirl. After she had returned to the roof full of apologies for Adrien and with her alibi from Alya placing her eyes on a different angle on the floor below, she sprinted back home to help with the tail end of the lunchtime rush. Then she'd hustled to catch up with Alya to find what she might have learned, reviewing the feed with Alya by phone. By the time evening fell, she'd already spent another hour in the shop helping her parents close up for the day and eat dinner.

By the time she'd meet up with Chat at the Eiffel Tower, letting him know that she and Alya hadn't found anything new to him in the footage so far, she was already losing the battle with exhaustion.

Sighing, she trudged downstairs. She and Tikki would need something extra from the kitchen to get them through the night if there was any hope of them unearthing some piece of the mystery to help Chat out for the next day. There had to be something. It was just too weird and potentially too powerful not to be an Akuma.

It just wasn't encouraging. Chat wasn't one to lie, so her poor partner kept living this day over and over again. As tired as she was, he had to be miserable.

Poor kitty.

She'd felt bad enough to suggest that maybe tomorrow he actually start with waking up Marinette and having her reach out to Alya. To give herself whatever extra time she could to puzzle all this out with everything they had right now, starting fresh in the morning.

Unless they truly were lucky today. If Chat's somber face in the moonlight was any indication, it didn't seem likely.

She snagged a plate full of cookies and a mug of cocoa, and slid back up the stairs through the darkness.

Tikki was hovering over the mouse key, her large eyes scanning through the slow panning of frames.

Nino had focused in on Chat. He was fidgety, checking the roof and looking ill at ease. She bit her lip, certain that he was checking on their location up on the roof. She wished it were possible to assure him that all was well, so he could have been more focused on the ground.

But it just wasn't possible. Not without compromising her own secret identity.

* * *

Chat sat on her rooftop, rapping his gloved knuckles against the skylight door.

It was late - far later than he had hoped - but he had to spend far longer holed up in his room than he liked. He had been too quiet, and Nathalie had insisted on bringing a doctor in to look in on him. The doctor had run his through the whole battery of tests, deeming him little more than exhausted and demanding strict rest for the remainder of the weekend.

Nathalie had been ruthless, shooing him away from his computer screen more than once when she caught him sitting up. She'd only left him alone after he'd actually settled down to take a bit of a catnap as dinnertime approached.

Plagg had appreciated the nap, but he had felt guilty. His friends had come through for him, and he couldn't help but feel grateful, although his own excuse had ensured that he couldn't pull off his share of the work from his gilded cage. He'd almost been late to meet with Ladybug on the Tower.

After a moment of hesitation, Chat tapped again, hopeful that Marinette hadn't fallen asleep yet.

The glow of light was clear even from the rooftop. But it was possible she had been that tired. Alya had mentioned more than once that Marinette pushed herself hard enough that she sometimes fell asleep at her desk.

Chat started to pace, checking the time on the digital display on his baton. Maybe he should leave. Just head home and spend the rest of the evening poring through the video feed on his own.

But he really did want to thank her for all she had done today, and wanted to make sure she hadn't had any trouble from her birds eyes view after he had to leave.

He sighed, going against his instincts and lifting the unlocked door to peer inside.

* * *

Her eyes were locked with the screen. Alya had pointed to a few key events for Marinette to check out specifically: the butterfly release, the handshakes, and the medallions. But as Chat Noir had already mentioned those to her as Ladybug, she had shifted her focus to everything else. Everything they had overlooked.

At least, they were until she felt Tikki poke her arm before she phased into the desk drawer to hide.

Blinking, Marinette tugged off her headphones, catching sight of Chat Noir's head peering inside her room.

She frowned, but he had already plastered on a self-deprecating smile. "Sorry, Princess. I did try to knock first."

She set her headphones down, ensuring Tikki was safely out of view, before spinning back around in her chair. "It's okay. What did you need?"

His head was still peering through the open door. "To thank you for earlier. And to make sure no one gave you any trouble up on the building. You and Adrien had both disappeared. Especially with so much that we don't understand right now..." he trailed off.

She nodded. If he was as tired as she suspected and had still snuck back out to check on her, he must have been worried.

"Want to come in?"

Chat nodded. He flipped over, carefully dodging her bed and swinging himself into a crouch on the wooden floor beside it.

Marinette smiled, snagging the second chair that Alya sometimes used and dragging it beside hers at the computer. Patting the seat of the chair, she dropped back down in her own. "I'm going through some of the footage now. I saw something weird, but I'm not even sure that it matters."

Chat tilted his head, green eyes half glowing with curiosity. "What is it?"

"Officer Raincomprix." She queued up the footage, pointing to the screen. "See? He's heading back into the City Hall Building during the middle of the ceremony. It might not mean anything at all, but he is a police officer, so it might be worth finding out why."

* * *

Chat rested his arms down on her desk, eyes heavy but focused in on the screen.

Marinette had replaced the headphones over her head, but kept the ear on his side off kilter so she could hear him. The plate of cookies noisily scooted across the desk in his direction, but the only sign that Marinette had noticed was the slightest curve on her lips.

Not for the first time, his eyes keep sliding to Marinette and not the video in rapt fascination. It was a side of her that he wasn't normally privy to.

She has a lot of the same values he so admires in Ladybug, and it was starting to make him feel a bit guilty. Like he was somehow betraying the feelings for LB, even though she was forever pressing the professional distance between them.

This is exactly the sort of thing he would love to be working on with Ladybug, especially to correct this current mess. He just wanted to be working together with her, side by side, even if only in this kind of like this amiable silence.

Both in and out of costume. Of course, the latter would only come once she felt entirely sure he could be trusted.

But where could they even work together in the future? What sort of neutral ground could they use? Maybe Alya's or Nino's houses? Could he even talk her into meeting there to spend hours dedicated to reviewing the footage like this? Assuming he could even figure out how to reach her before she transformed herself.

He leaned back in the chair, dejected. Maybe all of this would just be easier if he could have met Marinette first…

But the one thing life as Chat Noir had taught him that he wasn't that lucky."

* * *

Marinette wasn't sure when he had dozed off, but Chat Noir was a surprisingly hard sleeper. No amount of poking his shoulder on her part could force him to move. Not as surprising as the fact that he - and by extension, his kwami - felt comfortable enough with her to allow his guard to be let down.

Turning down the lights, she sighed and set to readying herself for bed, grabbing a conservative pair of pajamas, brushing her teeth, and sneaking Tikki out from the drawer into a much more comfortable hiding space.

Belatedly, she spotted her posters and breathed a sharp sigh of relief that he seems to have missed them entirely. If he had seen them, surely he would not have missed out on the opportunity to tease her otherwise. Quickly - and as quietly as she could manage - she gathered up every single one that she could spot in the lower light.

She'd even smacked her shin against the dresser, and Chat Noir hadn't even stirred. Her poor partner was definitely pulling triple duty right now.

Fondly, she settled a blanket over his shoulders and settled back in, continuing to watch the video for anything else unusual.

If she found something else worth a mention, she could always try to poke him awake again. And failing that, she'd leave him a note for when he did wake up.

* * *

Adrien woke up in the middle of the night. It was dark, but his vision was not nearly as blurry as he expected it might be.

He was still transformed, and Plagg is sure to give him an earful and demand every scrap of cheese in his house.

He blinked again: the view wasn't as familiar as he'd expected either.

But that wasn't the only surprise.

Marinette's head had slumped onto his shoulder.

Moving slightly, he struggled against the blanket, only just realizing that she had tucked him in. Clearly, she had even watched more and had fallen asleep against him after she had worn herself out.

He gathered her up, thankfully light as she was, and carried her over into her own bed and tucked her in. Adrien realized that it probably wouldn't matter, the day to reset in far too few hours anyways. But it was the principle of the thing.

He took one last, fleeting glance at the sleeping girl cuddling into her bed before moving up the ladder with every ounce of stealthy, cat-like grace he could muster before he stole out into the night.

Marinette had actually worn herself out helping review the video feeds over and over again. His lips curved upwards fondly. She even took the pains to tuck him in, and he honestly couldn't recall the last time that had happened.

She was honestly, amazingly good. Who else went to that level of helping others?

Outside of his Lady, he could think of precious few. But even Ladybug never stuck around when he grew anxious in the wake of battle, sometimes not wanting to return to his empty room. Sometimes processing a battle that had taken a far more emotional toll than either one of them could have anticipated.

Ladybug never could linger. Her identities must be secret policy ensured that. The world could not return to rights without her powers, meaning he could only steal a few minutes of her precious time before she was compelled to leave.

His love and admiration for her had seemed boundless. So why was he starting to feel something all too similar for Marinette?

He liked her. She was genuinely a good person. Sure she wasn't without her flaws, but even Ladybug had those.

But Marinette was as close and real and as accessible as Ladybug was remote.

In a day that have given him more questions than answers, it left him with a question he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to: Would he set his feelings for his Lady on hold, even if he could?

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

*cackles evilly* And so it begins...

Curious about updates? Find me on Tumblr at the same author name. :)


	8. Day 1f - Daybreak

With a carafe of coffee for Tom and a mug of tea for herself, Sabine, wound her way down the familiar path of steps. It looked to be long day, but Tom had already gotten to an excellent start.

It was too early yet for customers, and yet the figure in black pacing outside their store door was surprisingly familiar. And looking more than a little bit lost.

"Chat Noir?"

He flinched, turning back with green eyes that faintly glowed in the early morning fog.

Sabine smiled. "If you are hungry, I could use a hand for just a moment."

Chat smiled softly, offering two open palms.

Carefully, she settled the drinks in his hands and unlocked the storefront to enter.

She held the door open for him to trail behind her and went in search of the best they had to offer from what Tom had just pulled from the oven. Chat Noir followed behind her, uncertain but all too carefully balancing the two drinks in his claws.

"Tom! I brought a guest. You won't believe who."

He poked his head out from the back and grinned. "Chat Noir!" He grinned affably before his brows dropped. "Oh? If there an Akuma we should be watching for."

Chat smiled thinly. "Not at the exact moment."

Tom smiled. "Ah. Just here for something to eat then?" He scanned around the kitchen area for a plate, but she had already read his mind and had a plate in hand. The benefit of living and working together for so long. "I have croissants just out of the oven. Unless you'd like to pick out something else."

He winced. "I...uh. I couldn't take it. I don't really carry my wallet on me in this."

"No charge, really. It is on the house. I couldn't possibly make you pay, today of all days" Tom's voice boomed over the hum of the ovens. "Just take your pick."

"Thank you." With grace, Chat accepted the chocolate croissant on the plate. He marveled at how the still warm crust fell apart with the slightest touch from his fork. And the look on his face, when he'd lifted the fork to his mouth, you'd think he'd never had a croissant before. He took one bite savoring it. "This is amazing."

She might be more than a little biased, but Tom's croissants were certainly some of the best in the City. Lips curled, Sabine handed Tom his coffee, which he accepted with a smile that still managed the leave her own stomach fluttering after all these many years. "Thank you, dear."

"I'll be back with breakfast in a little bit, alright?"

Tom nodded.

* * *

Aimlessly, Chat followed her back out into the store section and back around to the door that lead into the house. The croissant was half gone but he seemed unlikely to ask for any more food, though he clearly needed it. Heroes surely couldn't just fight on bread alone.

"Come along then. I'm making a bit of healthier fare as well, and if you are already out protecting Paris, you'll need more than that croissant to see you through the day."

Chat nodded. "That's very kind of you."

Sabine smirked. "You and Ladybug put your lives on the line nearly every day. That's a little more than kind. If you need food, you need only ask."

He blinked, his ears twitching slightly.

"Besides," she continued, "there have been quite a number of Akuma attacks near the school, and for all of that no one has been injured and everything has been repaired. So, we're more than happy to help, especially as our daughter attends there.

"I know," he murmured, before biting down on his lip. "The fixes. Sometimes people do get hurt. Not everyone remembers what we do. Sometimes Ladybug's fix covers that. The Akumatized victims don't seem to remember, and maybe that's a mercy. All of those fixes are from Ladybug alone. I just help her where I can."

Sabine patted his shoulder. "You're being quite modest, I'm sure. The battles can be scary for us civilians to watch. Even if we're safely at home and seeing the footage on the news."

Chat raised his brows at that. "I'm kind of surprised. Marinette seems to be surprisingly fearless. So I'd assumed she must have gotten that from you both…."

"You've worked with Marinette?" Her brows furrowed. "Odd that she'd never mentioned."

She could swear the sweetest blush started to turn on the boys cheeks...and certainly he couldn't be much older than Marinette. And unless she was mistaken, it seemed the poor boy had a bit of a crush.

A gloved claw scratched the nape of his neck. "A few times, actually. The Akuma tend to hit the school quite a lot, but one of the Akuma had a crush on her and had targeted her. She kept a level head and spotted a way to get us both out of a sticky situation."

Sabine frowned, clearly worried. Marinette hadn't mentioned that at all, which in and of itself was unusual. Why had she been so secretive? Surely she knew she could come to them with anything. They only wanted to be supportive.

Chat Noir looked at the floor as he leaned against the counter. "There is an Akuma right now. But it is weird. It isn't acting like all the ones we've really seen before and I-well, we really- aren't sure why."

"We?" Sabine murmured. "No one else is really up this early. I was surprised to see a youngster like you up at this hour. It seems like getting Marinette up before late morning on weekend is next to impossible. This past year especially. She's just working so hard, trying to get her design portfolio built up for university."

Chat nodded, growing oddly silent.

Sabine had noticed his silence. "You'll figure out what you want to do. It seems like you probably have more than a few years to make up your mind." She sipped her mug thoughtfully. "It is funny, actually. How much younger you and Ladybug look in person."

This hero - this boy, really - threw himself in harm's way over and over to protect the one person who protected Paris. He had the power to protect himself better than anyone else, but it certainly wasn't perfect.

"It seems such a large weight to place on your young shoulders."

"We're not alone. Not entirely." Chat sighed. "Not that we are really sure what we're doing, even with the help we're just doing everything we can while hoping for the best. This one now, it's weird. The day - this day - just keeps repeating. But only for me. Ladybug isn't even remembering the repeat for some reason."

Huh. Sabine folded her hands atop the counter. "And you keep re-living this day?"

"Yeah. This is maybe the sixth time now?"

"Do you have anyone you can ask for help?"

"At home? Not really. The thing that gives me my powers isn't always willing or able to help. I just have friends who might be able to lend a pair of eyes. Maybe some ideas."

Her fingers wrapped around the mug handle. Guarded, she observed him carefully. "And Marinette?"

He didn't hesitate. "She is one of those friends I would trust."

Sabine sighed, tapping her fingers against the stoneware. "Has she helped you before?"

"Once. Just this repeat before. She spotted something I had missed. I was hoping to start everything earlier today. To pay closer attention that one time in particular."

"In all those days, how risky has it been?"

"Honestly? I'm not sure. Outside of the fact that the day keeps repeating, nothing seems to be changing unless I change my action slightly."

"So this Akuma might be out there somewhere wreaking some sort of havoc that you can't even fix."

"Only because we hardly have an idea where to find it." His eyes hardened. "And I have no idea how long we have until we lose whatever advantage we have."

Sabine dropped onto the stool. It screamed against her every hostess instinct, but this was all an awful lot of process. And far too absurd to be anything else but real. Not that she would have thought the same more than a year ago. "I will be honest with you, Chat Noir. You're asking me to put my only child at risk. I know you're a hero, but how do I really know I can trust you? To trust this story?"

Chat sets his jaw, clenching his claws as he paced back and forth across the tile before he turned back decisively. His ears and tail stood rigid, but his eyes looked certain. Clear. "Because you've met me before, Ma'am."

Sabine hardly even had time to blink before her kitchen was awash in a lime green glow that resembled the hero's eyes.

"I hope you know what you're doing, kid." The tiniest black cat with the oddest whiskers floated in mid-air.

"And just want do you think you're doing?" The boy scolded, hissing.

"Making the best of a bad situation."

"Plagg!"

Sabine shook her head, dumbfounded as the little beast disappeared into her refrigerator.

She turned back to the boy left standing in her kitchen. He looked vulnerable, his shoulders slumped. He looked exhausted, as if the weight of these repeating days had each aged him another year.

But most interesting to her was the fact that he looked identical in every way to the sweet boy who her daughter actually adored.

Which spoke volumes. Marinette had startlingly good taste, perhaps even better than even she had realized. She hadn't started to put those posters up in her room until after Adrien had started at the school. Meaning she had found something admirable in his first. Something that was clear even outside his superhero identity.

Sabine looked over to the fridge, where the tiny cat had zoomed after his set down and was currently raiding her cheeses. "Have you ever done that before?"

He blinked. "Dropped my transformation? No. It is risky. Usually."

"Usually?" Sabine echoed, tilting her head before realization struck. "Ah. I won't remember tomorrow."

He looked a little sheepish, awkwardly half shrugging a shoulder. "In all likelihood. Ladybug won't be happy with me if she finds out."

She narrowed her eyes. "Marinette is that necessary?"

"Yes." He-Adrien she corrected mentally-nodded. "Until I can actually get to Ladybug, and even that isn't until after the ceremony, she's the one I need to work with. She's my only hope of finding out something new to track down this Akuma before it can harm anyone. So Ladybug can be ready to keep everyone safe."

"And you'll protect her?"

"Of course!" His eyes flashed, posture straightening. His fists clenched tight across his chest. "I would hate to see my friends hurt in any way."

Resigned, Sabine set her mug down on the counter. It seemed there was no helping it after all. "Do you have anything else you need to do?"

He looked baffled, green eyes almost comically wide.

She smiled. "Your time is precious, right?"

He nodded, frowning at the tiny beast who was currently stuffing an impossible pile of cheese into its tiny mouth. "Plagg, behave yourself."

Sabine smirked. What was little bit of cheese in the service of keeping Marinette safe? "I suspect I'll need about 45 minutes to get my daughter up and out of bed. Think you could find your way back here by then?"

"Oh!" His eyes lit up. "Yes. Absolutely. I-Thank you."

While a wide smile, the boy snatched the tiny cat out of the air, whispering. "C'mon, Plagg. Claws out."

Sabine bit her lip to keep from chuckling aloud as he started to pose as the black leather covered his form again. What was it with males and absurd posing?

Tom would be sad to have missed it. Assuming she could ever tell him...

She watched with amusement as Chat half bounded over to the doorway to let himself out, before gasping and spinning on his heel and marching back to not shout across the room. He fidgeted, unsure. "Tomorrow...What should I tell you, if I need to come back tomorrow?"

"Oh, I don't know." Sabine smiled, tugging his far too slim shoulders down into a hug. In spite of all of his smiles, his eyes were still far too weary for a boy that young. "I think you did rather well today."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

I'm weak. Mama Sabine feels happened and I'm not even sorry. Because Mama Sabine is legit Mom goals. 3

Not. One. Bit.

I did hold off on responding to your totally sweet comments to write like a madwoman who should totally be asleep right now. I will answer those tomorrow afternoon/evening. Thank you all again for your support! 3

I'll probably try to post smaller segments rather that wait weeks in between bits, which should be back to back MariChat and Adrienette fun. :D

Curious about updates? Find me on Tumblr at the same author name. :)


	9. Day 1f - Rude Awakenings

"Marinette."

She grumbled, burrowing deeper under the comforter.

"C'mon, Marinette."

Her eyes wincing against the dim light coming in through her window. Wasn't it Saturday? Who in their right mind gets up early on a Saturday?

"You need to get up now."

"I'll get up a little later," she whimpered, pulling the cover up over her eyes, desperate cling whatever dream could get her a few more precious minutes of sleep. "Honest."

"But you have a guest."

A guest? Marinette frowned, tucking her knees up against her chest and turning away from the sound of her mother's voice. Alya definitely knew better than to show up this early. She hadn't even been out on patrol the night before, so there couldn't be anything for the Ladyblog. "Tell Alya I'll stop past her house in an hour or so."

"It isn't Alya."

Marinette's brows furrowed, forcing her mind to move. Her thoughts were coming all too slow, like the sticky trickle of honey she sometimes spent her weekend mornings drizzling atop the croissants. That was weird. If not Alya, then who else would bother to visit so early?

"I did want to ask, dear," her mother's voice lilted slightly. "How many boys in leather did you expect to have dropping in to visit you in the morning?"

"Just the one…"

"Hm?"

Her hand slapped over her mouth as her mind caught up. "I mean...what?"

"You didn't tell me you were friends with a superhero."

Chat Noir? Her blue eyes popped open, tugging back the covers. She instantly regretted the fast action, slamming her eyes shut.

"We have been having a nice little chat." She grinned widely, far too amused for her own good. Chat was clearly being a bad influence. "He's very sweet."

Marinette dropped her head back against the pillow wearily. It was way too early for this.

"He was waiting for you downstairs. I tried waking you up about 15 minutes ago, but you really did not want to move."

"Wait," Marinette blinked. "He was waiting."

Sabine smiled, with a firm nod. "Now he's down talking with your father."

Oh my god. Marinette paled, tossing her covers off with a vengeance, leaving them in a messy pile on the floor.

"Dear, do you think this visiting is going to be a habit? I mean, I don't certainly don't mind but I think your father would want to know what to make up especially. He looks about half starved anyways."

Biting her lip against the urge to scream, Marinette scrambled over to her dresser, tugging drawers open and pulling out the first clothes she could find, knocking her shin against the corner in the process. With a frustrated howl, she righted herself with considerable effort and tried not to mentally plot out how many ways she wanted to skin one very particular cat right now.

What on earth could he be thinking? There was a very important reason she slept in on Saturdays.

Her mother patted her head fondly, nodding to the pile of mismatched colors in her hands. "No need to rush, dear. Take your time and grab a shower. It will help you wake up. You'll feel much better later if you do."

With a heavy sigh, Marinette wheeled back to the dresser, to pick her clothes with more care as her mother headed back down the slim stairs.

"Besides, you'll thank me later."

"Huh?" Marinette blinked. Had she heard that right?

Her mother smiled softly, but she didn't miss the hint of mischief in her eyes. "I'll have breakfast ready for you downstairs when you are all finished and you can see what your friend wants."

With a resigned sigh, Marinette hobbled towards the shower, fresh clothes in hand.

This was shaping up to be a very long day.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

I have way too much fun with Sabine.

I'm diving right back into writing the next chapter to hopefully get it loaded up this weekend. No promises as my birthday is actually on Sunday and I have no idea what other people might have planned that might derail my best efforts.

Thank you so much to those of you who have been leaving reviews and speculation. I'm still really dumbfounded by the love and support, but it 110% made my day reading each one. Thank you all so, so much. 3

Speculation, particularly on mystery stories, is the best. Sometimes you definitely bring up an angle not considered, even just with a question, and it actually allows for a much better story to develop. Sending out the biggest internet hugs to those of you dropping questions and spec! :D


	10. Day 1f - Breakfast and Battle Plans

Despite his assurances to the contrary, Adrien did not really have anything else to keep himself occupied - at least not this early in the morning. He lingered around the bakery.

He'd not been lurking for long outside the door before Marinette's father had wandered out from the back, waved him inside. "C'mon in."

He had followed automatically as Tom held the door open.

"There's not much time until our regular customers are due to arrive. While there would be an advertising bonus for them, certainly, it was the sort of attention that the hero surely didn't need."

When he explained why he was here on a secret mission, seeking out Marinette's help far, far too early on a Saturday morning. He'd left out the transformation this time, but it was clear that Marinette's father was more than proud that his pride and joy had been such a great help.

Tom smiled softly. If his transformed ears were any less acute, he'd not have hear the whispered, "That's my girl."

He didn't even realize he'd spun around, until he found room to pace the open floor below his feet. How was it that in one (repeated) day, this place felt far more like home than his own home had felt in a long while? Marinette's parents were just so welcoming and so considerate. His home had felt like that once, long ago.

But now it felt like he was intruding.

If the older man had noticed his discomfort, he'd said nothing. Instead, he'd pulled up a second stool near the workbench and set back to decorating cupcakes.

Chat settled on the stool beside Marinette's father as he set to decorating, his claws gripping the metallic sides of the stool. He had offered to help, but it quickly became apparently that claws were not so conducive to decorations.

Nor probably to health code.

Restless, his limbs still moved, spinning him slightly on the stool as he watched. He had only the vaguest memories of watching his father work like this when he was very small, before success had propelled him into the international spotlight.

Chat cleared his throat, desperate to not focus on the memories when there was much more important things to focus on today. "Marinette's mother is trying to wake her up now, but she said it might take a while."

"Probably good that you came down here then." The older man smiled as he leaned over, his large hands surprisingly precise as he decorated each in sequence. "Marinette always has a little difficulty getting up in the middle of the week, but trying to wake her up early on the weekend is next to impossible."

"Her friend Alya actually has a good bit of luck, but I'm pretty sure that Alya just blackmails her."

Chat blinked. "Huh?"

"There is a boy my daughter has a crush on," Tom chuckled. "I'm pretty sure a threat of sending a picture of her drooling and in bed would set an unholy fear into her."

Chat chuckled, filing that little tidbit away with amusement. It seemed the Princess had a crush after all.

Absently, he'd wondered who it was.

"Now, if you want to see Marinette panic, make sure you stand next to the bookshelf. If I know Sabine, she might threaten to pull out the baby pictures…"

Chat snorted. He needed to stay on Marinette's good side in order to get through the day.

On the other hand, now he knew those books existed.

And he was curious.

* * *

Tom had practically ordered him to have another pastry. "I remember how hungry I always was when I was around your age."

As the buttery layers felt apart in his mouth, Adrien found that he didn't mind in the least. In fact, the only perk of these repeating days - so far as he could tell - was the fact that he literally could eat whatever he want without fear of his dietitian.

He'd eyed the chocolate croissants greedily. But not subtly.

"Here." The larger man had snagged the pastry and nestled it in the tissue wrapping they had in the front of the shop, placing it his opened claw with practiced ease and an easy smirk. "Don't stop now. You're on a roll."

Chat's grin could not possibly have been wider.

"Would you mind if I had just one more? The thing that gives me powers can eat and really loves cheeses. And it might be best to re-charge while I can."

"Say no more."

* * *

When his transformation has released, Plagg had only fussed for a few seconds before demolishing the danish in entirety in the bakery stock room.

With a sigh, he'd sent a message to Nino on his civilian cell phone, telling him that he'd see Chat Noir while he was out on his morning run. Chat mentioned he'd needed help filming the days festivities, and Adrien said he'd had a friend or two that might be willing to help and post their footage online.

He'd looked at the watch on his clock. There was still 15 minutes left.

But now his curiosity was getting the better of him.

* * *

Marinette had run down as quickly as she could, skipping entire steps. Her hair was still damp and clothes were in mild disarray, but the alternative was somewhat terrifying.

Spending the past year mastering the art of the ten minute shower and scramble to school had finally paid off.

She gaped as soon as she spotted Chat Noir standing in front of the bookshelf containing years and years of pictures.

Embarrassing pictures. She'd seen them recently enough to know that for sure.

With his claws and eyes hovering, dangerously close.

"Chat?!" She'd half shrieked. "What are you doing here?"

He'd just grinned, calm and happy as he pleased, his claws weaving behind his neck as he meandered over to drop into the guest seat at the dinner table. "I'm afraid that's a bit of a long story, Princess."

Her mother snorted indelicately, tossing a glance she'd long ago decided to interpret as "behave" at her partner in justice.

Shower or not, she'd was not awake enough to make much more if than that.

"I'll just take this down to your father while you both catch up."

* * *

Frowning at her orange juice, Marinette pondered whether or not she should have taken up her mother on her offer of coffee.

She could swear Chat just told her-her of all people-that a secret Akuma was plaguing the city. With everyone none the wiser but him.

Not even her alter ego.

She sighed, picking at the edge of her toast "That's a pretty tall tale."

He waggled his brows. "There's a good deal more to tell, Princess."

She was too tired to bother masking her eye roll. "And yet there is only so much time until you have somewhere to be."

Chat nodded, his shoulders slumping.

Marinette bit her lip, feeling far too much like she'd kicked her kitten. "You said there was something I found…?" She took a hasty sip, hoping the rush of sugar would kickstart her brain into higher gear. Clearly he'd come because he needed the help.

Chat's eyes narrowed, focused. "Someone - a police officer - had been standing guard during the ceremony and then disappeared inside city hall. He didn't seem to come back out, unless he went back out another door we didn't have a camera on."

"So your plan is what exactly? To go in and find him?"

He nodded. "He's really out only lead at the moment. The only one we see moving away from the ceremony. I know for certain I had seen him after the ceremony previously."

Marinette nodded. "That makes sense. So either he or someone around him was affected and changed by the altered course of the day."

Chat's smile was the same reckless, devil may care one he wore when the cooked up plans side by side nearly every day. The one that never really affected her so much in costume. But here at her own breakfast table, it chased butterflies through her stomach.

Marinette exhaled. She was clearly sleep deprived.

Thankfully, Chat hadn't seemed to notice. He had laid his head down on the table, looking more than a little lost. More than a little tired. "During the ceremony is the time I am getting any sense of an Akuma. Like I said, this one is weird. Ladybug and I can usually follow the screams and the destruction. But without that, I'm a little lost."

Marinette chewed her lip. Somehow, she really needed to figure out some way for Chat to "contact Ladybug." But it needed to be something that would be both safe to actually tell him, provided she didn't remember all of this tomorrow and directly contradict herself.

If only she and Tikki had devised some alternate emergency path of communications with Chat before today. She crossed her arms over her chest, mentally puzzling. It had always seemed fraught with security risk, but wasn't this just as dangerous for them all?

She didn't notice Chat staring at her until she looked up and their eyes locked.

She arched an amused eyebrow, as he had the grace to blush as he looked away first.

Chat really was such a flirt. Was he like this with every girl or was she just particularly lucky?

She made a mental note to ask Alya if there was some sort of hidden intel she had on that before she realized the futility of that.

Not only would she probably not remember, but she'd also have to spend the rest of this day deal with Alya's questions of why. Why now? Why Chat? What about Adrien?

And with her luck, Adrien would probably be nearby.

* * *

Chat leaning his head on the table. Marinette really was totally animated. Her mother had mentioned that it took her a little while to get moving in the morning, but once she was off and running, it was a full tilt speed.

It was fascinating, watching her free of whatever hang ups she had around him at school.

Until she caught him, then he felt the fiery blush hit him like a freight train. He felt everything a bit more in the suit, his senses were more acute. More pain, more joy, more fear, more laughter. He frequently felt the sharp spike of adrenaline set his heart to racing when the wind was rushing through his hair as he chased his Lady over the rooftops of Paris. This moment, it was quieter, but he felt that rush all the same. And he was filled with nervous energy and a fear of looking her into those too blue eyes.

It was reminding him too much of LB. Reminding him that his mind was off mission. That she'd want him to be focused - need him to do so really - to ensure they could keep Paris safe. Until she could know and could help.

Until they could find whatever they needed to stop this awful day from repeating.

"I think we need to find some way for you to reach out to Ladybug earlier." Marinette pressed her lips together. "I'm not sure how, but there is really only so much we can do to help. Maybe Alya might have some way…?"

He frowned. "It might be too risky. Until we know what we are dealing with, I'm not sure more than subtle changes would work. If Alya put a call out for Ladybug to contact her, it might put her at risk."

"Then that's no good."

"And I can't get away from home all that much," Chat frowned. "They think I'm sick in bed today, but I lost so much time in the evening because someone kept checking in…"

Marinette tilted her head, considering. "You're about my age, right?"

Chat nodded. "I'm still in school, if that's what you mean."

"Yeah. Wouldn't your family understand if you had a class project with a due date coming up."

"Oh." He blinked, stunned. And then, he belly laughed, as unrestrained and free as his costume allowed. "Oh, that's brilliant."

Her eyes fairly sparkled at the compliment, but it was her smile that was magnetic. Her far too pink lips curled upwards slowly with more than a bit self-deprecation.

Well, that wouldn't do. Didn't she know just how much trouble that would save him? How much more help he could be now?

Chat didn't think, he just moved. His arms wound about her waist careful of his claws, swooping her up out of her chair spinning her around merrily in cozy of the kitchen.

Her cheeks flushed, but her eyes were vaguely panicked. Her hands tapping at his shoulders. "Yes, yes. I'm clever. Now put me down, we have work to do."

Chat's smile lost a bit of it's force in the confusion, the speed of the spin slowing to a stop setting her down to the floor as gently as his claws could manage.

Had she been afraid? He wouldn't have let her get hurt.

There was no way he would have allowed it.

"Now." She breathed, taking a half step back. "We still have one more thing to figure out. How do we get someone inside City Hall to find that police officer?"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

So, my sick day is your benefit. New chapter...and finally a bit more plot advancement! Not beta read, so I might need to do some minor word-smithing tomorrow if I've missed something glaring.

If I am very lucky, I might get a good chunk of the day tomorrow to write (unless there are secret birthday plans). Thanks for all of who left birthday wishes. You are all very sweet!


	11. Day 1f - Preparations Are in Order

The rush of the wind in her hair was amazing, cool air whipping tendrils free from the usual ribbons. She'd known the feel of it tugging her strands far more gently while in costume, yo-yo swinging from beams and ledges to rooftops.

But it usually was far more muted. Tikki's protection must actually keep it back most of the time. It was a simple matter of practicality. Ladybug couldn't fight if she was forever fixing her hair.

It wasn't like this was the first time she had been dashed across the rooftops outside of her alter ego's protective costume. But last time was in a hasty, madcap scramble away from Gamer, with her practically being held against his chest but the speed of his forward motion.

This was a different rhythm, one her usually rash partner had taken great pains to slow down. He was vaulting from rooftop to rooftop, as she clung to his back. Her arms carefully wound around his shoulders, her legs wrapped above his hips.

Marinette feared moving too much might throw off his sense of balance. It would have taken her a great deal of focus to even try to carry someone else across the rooftops. But in her case, it would have required a good deal more arm strength to balance the added weight, even though she wasn't really a slouch in that department.

She bit her lip, all too aware that her partner was definitely not.

Had his shoulders always been so broad?

The flushed heat on her cheeks was a testament to that. Absently, she let one hand press to her face, willing the blush to subside.

It only took an instant to regret it.

Gasping for breath, she readjusted her grip over his shoulders.

"Oof!" Chat grunted, slowing his already lumbering pace to a crawl, balancing them both impossibly atop the extended baton between the buildings. "You alright back there, Princess."

"Yep!" She chirped, her voice half an octave too high. "Just lost my grip for a second there?"

He peered over his shoulder. "Need me to stop for a minute, Princess?"

She blinked, trying not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. She knew Chat was just being considerate. Silly nickname aside, it felt mildly patronizing. Mostly because she could get herself around just fine, if she could have gotten in her own suit without him realizing. She just knew all too well that she wasn't nearly so well protected outside of the suit.

"I can tough it out," Marinette insisted, meeting his green eyes as he peered over his shoulder. It was oddly fascinating to watch as the catlike pupils narrowed into pinpricks, as his lids hooded.

Marinette blinked, forcing her eyes away and tightening her grip har arms had around his shoulders. "Anyways. We'll need all the time we can get to help you out."

Chat Noir pat her arms gently with his free hand, before his hand returned to the baton and propelled them both onwards in uncharacteristic silence.

But she could swear that his cheeks were just the slightest bit red.

Huh. Weird. Maybe all of these repeats were tiring him out.

* * *

"Your friends should be around soon, Princess." Chat dashed off, shooting her that all too familiar salute as he spun on his heel and dashed off over the nearby rooftops.

Marinette watched him go from the darkness of the alley, more than a little worried about his well being. She hated to see him hurt. And if he felt poorly, how would they possibly locate the Akuma and break free of this loop.

Not that she didn't have enough to worry about right now. Her fingers tightened on the strap of her purse.

Now. She had to work with Adrien.

Not just work with him. She had to work with him to find a way to beat this Akuma. Without her costume. Without her Ladybug confidence. And preferably, without making a total fool of herself.

Her friends - all of them - were depending on her.

"Marinette." Tikki pressed her tiny face into her cheek, nuzzling her. "You'll be fine."

Leaning in to the comfort, Marinette blew the stray strand of hair out of her face, before realizing that wouldn't do. She reached up to adjust the bow, before she realized that her hands had been trembling.

Tikki flit in front of her eyes. "Just remember: This is mission. If it helps, just pretend that Adrien is Chat Noir."

Marinette chuckled, finger combing the hair back into place.

"I know," her kwami giggled warmly. "It is silly. But you two work together so easily, even when he is being ridiculous. You're worrying so much with Adrien that you don't just get to enjoy hanging out with him."

As she re-tied her ribbon, Marinette sighed. "I know. But I can't just stop worrying…"

"Hmmm…" Tikki tilted her large head, tapping her tiny paw to her cheek. "Well, think about it this way. If Chat Noir is right, that means even if you mess up, Adrien probably won't remember it tomorrow."

"So even if I did mess up, no one will be there to remember…"

"Except for Chat Noir, of course."

Marinette grinned tightly. "Of course. But he won't be anywhere near there."

* * *

Adrien adjusted his overshirt as he ran down the back alley and into the open square. Nino and Alya still had yet to arrive, but there was still about 45 minutes before the ceremony was due to start. Marinette was busy staring up at the City Hall building, hands clutching her pale pink purse.

"Oh! Marinette! There you are." He beamed, waving her way.

She smiled, turning for only a fleeting moment in his direction, before her eyes darted back up to the building as quickly as they had turned towards him. "Hey, Adrien."

Blinking, he felt his smile slip a bit. She hadn't seemed so anxious earlier. Out of comfort, he placed a hand on her shoulder, his thumb gesturing behind them both. "There's a building nearby that a friend recommended. For the view."

* * *

Marinette exhaled, nodding up at him. She could hardly even blink or smile; it was taking almost every ounce of energy not to look at the hand that was resting on her shoulder.

She wanted - more than anything - not to move from that spot.

But she really doesn't have time to burn. She needed to figure out where Chloe is, because she could actually spoil their whole plan.

His smile widened. "You, ready?"

Her lips dared to curl up in a nervous smile, not quite meeting his eyes as he steered her in the right direction, a taller building only a half block away from City Hall.

Once he had ducked into a doorway, Marinette was right on his heels matching his pace despite his slightly longer stride.

She studiously avoided looking at him, watching the hallways for anyone who might bar their way.

"Are you alright?"

She smiled, her eyes darting down the side hall before moving back ahead of them. "Just a bit anxious."

"No need to worry. Our friend in black scoped this all out ahead." Adrien grinned, holding open the elevator door as she trailed behind him with a silly half bow. "Need a lift?"

Marinette blinked in surprise for a split second before snorting indelicately. Well! That was one way to make it easier for her to pretend he was actually her punster partner. "Really?" She rolled her eyes up to the ceiling but her smile had only grown wider.

He chuckled, pressing his back against the side of the elevator opposite her. "Our friend said he could even get us down later if we run into any trouble."

"You talked to him, then?"

"Yeah. An early morning jog..."

Huh. Chat must have been very busy this morning.

"So," Adrien mused aloud as the elevator approached the roof. "We need to try to spot Chloe and Sabrina and then we move over to City Hall?"

Marinette smiled up at him with a nod, as the door chimed open and she lead them both to the roof's edge. "Right. First, we figure out where we need to avoid. Then we need to find Sabrina's Dad and figure out some way to get him to tell us what he knows."

Adrien scanned the upstairs windows, while her eyes drifted to the ground. She heaved a sigh. "That's not good."

Adrien frowned, trying to match the direction of her gaze. "What's up?"

Marinette gestured to the front entrance, was ringed with at least a police officer stationed at each giant door. "I'm just hoping we can manage to get inside."

Adrien squinted down at the entrance. "Any ideas?"

Wincing, she turned her back against the concrete ledge. "I dunno. I can think of maybe one idea offhand. But it kind of depends on me to do something that I'm really bad at."

He blinked, clearly more than a little confused.

Her arms folded atop her knees, dipping her chin down. "Chat Noir is counting on us. His days keep repeating, right? So what if I screw it up? How many times is it going to take before that Akuma starts causing chaos? I mean, what if I ruin the only advantage they seem to have right now?"

Adrien smiled gently, sitting down at her side. "Well. You're not exactly alone, right?"

She tilted her head at him, eyes narrowed as she desperately hoped she wasn't blushing too hard. "Right?"

He bumped his shoulder against hers, grinning as he pulled a little bit of a smile out of her. "Right. So...tell me what can I do to help."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

I already have most of Chapter 12 drafted, although even that keeps expanding.

So many ideas, so little time to write! But you all have been really great and supportive, so I decided to break it into two rather than make one monster chapter that will probably not get posted until the weekend (at best).

Curious about updates? Find me on Tumblr at the same author name. :)


	12. Day 1f - Into City Hall

"What was that?" Adrien inclined his ear closer. He couldn't quite hear, not with the way she was half-mumbled into her arms.

Wincing, Marinette slammed her eyes shut. "I don't lie well."

Adrien blinked in confusion. "Well...that's not exactly a bad thing."

"It is when you can't improvise." She sighed, shoulders slumping back against the ledge. "I've spent so many nights up late working on...well, designs and homework, that I feel like I'm running late to class on a daily basis. I ran out of excuses so long ago that they all sound lame. It's really not a good thing when the teachers roll their eyes at whatever you say."

He smiled. "It's not like you're the only one who is late, you know?"

"I know. But at least you have good reasons…" She trailed off, getting really quiet.

"So we plan it out. Then you won't have to improvise."

Startled, Marinette turned her haunted eyes to his. "I cannot stick to a script to save my life. Don't you remember the class film?"

"Yeah, I do." But Adrien didn't even get a chance to respond further before she started rambling.

"No. This is bad. Like seriously bad. I get really nervous." Marinette fingernails tapped at her bottom lip. "I'm mean Alya could give whole pages of examples and-" She halted suddenly, her spine stiffening. "On second thought, don't ask Alya."

She hadn't been that bad in it, had she? Adrien tried to recollect. She'd been a bit adorably flustered. Kind of like she was right now…

Except now she seemed to be a little more worried. That made sense. The stakes right now were a whole lot higher than whether or not the class won a contest.

Her fingers dug into her pink pants, eyes downcast. "I've got to think of something. Chat's counting on me…"

Even now-in the midst of her panic-Marinette was still thinking of others. She was worried that if everything went wrong, it would be her fault.

Adrien raked a hand through his hair. The problem was that she just didn't know it was actually his fault. He was Chat Noir. He was the one who couldn't figure it out fast enough. He was the one getting distracted.

He was the one having the hardest time keeping from blushing whenever she got too close.

Not that he could ever tell her.

Adrien breathed, settling for placing his hand on hers for comfort. Whether it was more for himself or for her, he wasn't entirely sure. "You're not alone, you know."

Her eyes widened, incredible blue holding him captive.

"T-there's me." Adrien winced, covering it with a too-wide smile. Smooth, Agreste. Totally smooth. "Of course. And there's Alya and Nino."

"Right." She gaped, stunned for the merest moments before she suddenly sprang into action, taking the precious few seconds to squeeze his hand back with a bright smile that lit up her eyes. "Huh. You're right."

Dazed, Adrien blinked, watching as she stood up to dig her phone out of her pocket. His eyes locked on her hand, "I am?"

"Our friends have practice writing scripts, right?" Marinette was smiling, as her fingers dashed over the screen. "I'm sure even Alya could manage to help me sound natural."

* * *

It's simple. Just be yourself, girl. Alya had said over the phone just minutes before.

Drawing in a steadying breath, Marinette sped across the square, now rapidly filling with event attendees anxious to get the best view of the day.

It makes sense though, right? If you play the situation as close to the truth as possible, it would be harder to trip yourself up in a possible lie.

Marinette wasn't sure it would even work, but Alya was much more confident. And the past year had taught her that a lot of Alya's advice was actually really good and sensible - if you discounted her crazy Ladybug and Chat Noir theories.

Don't be afraid to be shy and play up a bit more as a damsel, as it tends to make people more amenable to helping you out. But don't feel like you need to play up the distress, unless you are actually feeling it.

They had agreed that Adrien would let her kind of take charge, and take the lead. He could jump in if she started floundering too much.

It was probably for the best...assuming, of course, that she could manage to keep it all together in front of Adrien.

Marinette clenched her fists, fingernails pressing into her palms just enough to keep her aware. He was right behind her after all. She couldn't afford to panic right now.

'Um. Excuse me." Wide-eyed, Marinette approached the officer standing guard just outside the City Hall steps. "Do you think you could direct me to Officer Raincomprix?"

The younger officer arched a dark brow. "He's probably inside right now. Anything I can help with?"

"Ummm..." Her bright blue eyes veered to his, anxiously prompting him for his line.

"Sorry." Adrien half smiled, pressing his palm to his neck. "She's a little shy. We both happened to see a pickpocket and wanted to see if we could file a report for a description. Someone tried to chase him down, but the guy was a little too quick."

"Officer Raincomprix is the father of our friend." She smiled softly, biting her lip. It was a bit of a stretch to call Sabrina a friend, but what the officer didn't know, wouldn't hurt them. "I'm sure he must be busy and all but...it's just that I'd feel more comfortable giving a report to someone I know. And I'm afraid if I wait too long, I might forget something important."

The officer offered a friendly smile. "Look, why don't you kids go inside and see if you can't find him. If you don't have any luck, I'd be more than happy to take your report for you."

Marinette smiled brightly as the police officer opened the door for them. "Thank you."

"We appreciate it." Adrien echoed as he followed her in through the over-sized door.

The grand foyer inside City Hall was a flurry of activity as last minute preparations for the ceremony are underway.

It looked like the organized chaos that reigned in her room once her designs were nearly complete. Most everything was neatly in place, but some odds and ends were littered about at odd intervals.

The high powered event planners barking out last minute tasks to their assistants, busying themselves with the smallest final tasks.

Marinette slowly scanned the room. She had only been here before the once, and had gotten a pretty clear view of the open hallways. The front desk was empty at the moment, so they would truly be left to their own devices in trying to locate Sabrina's Dad.

She made a snap decision to start from the right, and move across the building until they spotted him and could ask a few questions..

"Do you want to split up?" Adrien whispered. He had matched her pace, falling into step at her side.

"Ummm...I was thinking about it. This building is huge, so there is a lot of ground to cover." She mused quietly. "But if we start to get stopped and questioned, it might be easier to get around any weird questions if we stick together to keep the story straight..."

He nodded, meeting her eyes for a few fleeting moments before his own eyes returned to the floor. "We don't have a lot of time. Hopefully, we can find him quickly."

* * *

The halls were distressingly quiet, abandoned except for the echo of activity from the rooms below. They both had fallen into silence to keep from drawing any unnecessary attention their way.

Adrien kept glancing at his watch, trailing behind Marinette more as she furtively opened doors to peek inside only to pull away from the darkened room with a frown.

Of course, glancing at his watch meant he was much more focused than he would be otherwise.

Not watching Marinette walk in front of him and falling into absently wondering what she was thinking about. Not watching her fret, tugging on her lip with her teeth as she scanned the hallways and pondered the next best direction to go. Not letting his own mind wander into dangerous territory between hormones and hope - and his unrequited feelings for his Lady.

At the thought of Ladybug, his eyes darted back at his watch.

He sighed. This was taking way too long. They had only about twenty minutes until he had to meet Ladybug on the roof and try to give her the quick run down of the day.

Honestly, it was a little weird that they hadn't already seen him. Officer Roger wasn't out in the atrium, monitoring the shuffle of assistants, and he wasn't out with the city's police force protecting the building perimeter. Would that make sense for him to be checking ahead of an event? Where else could they possibly even find him?

He gasped as Marinette tugged him into a room, suddenly, pulling the door mostly closed behind them. "What?"

In the dim light, she pressed her finger to her lips, tilting her head to allow herself to hear outside as best she could.

Marinette was silent for nearly a minute before she spoke, peering outside the door. "I could swear I just saw Chloe."

* * *

"Adrikins!"

Adrien winced, a half-hearted smile settling on his face as Chloe grabbed his arm. What room had they even come from? "Oh. Hey, Chloe. Sabrina."

The redhead had her arms crossed. "What are you two doing inside here anyways? I thought almost everyone had headed outside for the ceremony to start."

Marinette was quick to respond, her lips pressed into a thin line as she glanced over at Chloe. "We witnessed a pick-pocketing outside and were looking for an officer to report that details."

Chloe grumbled. "So just tell one of the guys outside. What do you think they are there for?"

Marinette's brows furrowed, scowling at Chloe. "You mean the guys who were actively guarding the door? They said they were setting up a security detail, so we didn't really want to bother them."

Sabrina pressed her lips together, mollified by that explanation at least. Clearly she'd gotten a bit of shop talk at home. "Dad's around here somewhere, but he's super busy. All the ceremony arrangements seem to be pretty crazy."

"Of course," Chloe crooned, cuddling closer in toward Adrien. "They're the heroes of Paris. You really think Daddy would allow some half hearted celebration to do?"

Sabrina crossed her arms over her chest. "Maybe you can find someone else in here?"

Adrien frowned, glancing at his watch. Thankfully it was on the arm that Chloe has ignored. They only had five minutes left...

"Or you could try with one of the officers - or Dad - once the ceremony is over. They'll probably have a bit more time then."

Marinette sighed, shaking her head as she glanced at Chloe's grip on his arm. "Thanks. I guess we'll try that." She turned on her heel, marching back down the steps.

Adrien unhooked Chloe's arm, plastering on a model practiced smile. Their interruption hadn't been helpful, but he couldn't afford for Chloe to become irritated with him. He truly didn't have the time right now. "Thanks for the help! Both of you."

He needed to catch up to Marinette so he could make his excuses for a quick getaway.

Chat had a Ladybug to catch.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

I think I'm initially posting this at 4 am my time. Which means I have a) made poor life choices and b) will probably find something tomorrow that needs an edit.

If I'm really productive this weekend, the next Chapter might go up on Sunday. Here's hoping!

Thanks to you all for your continued favorites, reviews, and Tumblr re-blogs. You make all the time needed to set the fic up worth it. 3


	13. Day 1f - Pomp and Circumstances

Marinette had hauled down the steps and out the door. She's in a fit of pique and trying - with only a little bit of success - to hide it. Why didn't Adrien stand up for himself better if he didn't like it when people (Chloe in particular) grabbed onto him? Didn't he know that the only way Chloe might stop was if he told her it made him a little uncomfortable?

She huffed, throwing her whole body into the door to shove it open. Chloe clearly either didn't know or didn't care.

The police officer was still guarding outside. "Any luck, miss?"

She plastered a smile on quickly, giving the officer a grateful little wave as Adrien raced to catch up with her as they moved down the side steps and towards the now massive crowd. "We found him. Thanks!"

"I need to run and grab some snacks for them all quickly." He grimaced. "I promised Nino he'd get them and totally forgot with all the extra stuff to do."

Marinette was wide-eyed in relief. "Okay. I'll try to meet up with Alya and Nino. Although, that might be a little difficult in this crowd."

"Got it. See you later, Marinette!" Adrien smiled - a real smile this time, thankfully - and darted into the crowd.

She watched his blonde head disappear into the crowd, until she was sure he wouldn't be able to see her. Then she ran in the opposite direction, hiding in the shadows of a nearby building to transform into Ladybug.

"Tikki?" Marinette paused, as her kwami loomed over her shoulder in preparation to be consumed by the words that did not come. "Why couldn't I have done more?"

"Marinette." Tikki faltered, dropping down just in front of her nose. "The only thing you could have done more of is have confidence. I know that's a far easier thing for you behind the mask."

Marinette winced.

Tikki cuddled up to her cheek. "It is something that comes with time and experience. I've seen it with countless Ladybug's over the years."

"But I don't have that kind of time, Tikki. Chat needs our help now." Clenching her fists, she fought the temptation to stomp in frustration. "Why did we have to run into Chloe?"

"You can't even be sure that you would have found Officer Raincomprix if you kept going the way you did, Marinette. It's a really big building. Just keep your eyes open for sign of him during the ceremony and make sure you tell Chat when you see him."

Marinette sighed, letting her hands fall heavily at her sides wearily. "I know, Tikki. Spots on."

She tried to gather her thoughts as the flow of light and power rushed over her.

Chat would have news for her-news he had no idea she was already aware of-and very little time to tell her much at all before they'd have to appear before the crowd below. He'd spent almost half an hour telling her the story and all the little things he had learned without her mask.

Unfortunately, as Marinette she still had no good news for him.

And she really hated this feeling that she was letting Chat Noir down.

* * *

"We don't have much time, my Lady. But there is something off around here."

"Oh." She murmured. Her feet planted on the roof beside him, Ladybug met Chat's eyes, and pretended not to know what he meant. "An akuma?"

"Probably." Chat Noir had hesitated, closing his emerald green eyes as he selected his words carefully. "I can't think what else it might be. It's just...weird."

Marinette realized that she hated lying to him even more than just letting him down.

She hadn't lied to Adrien. She really was bad at it. But what made it worse was that heavy pit that had settled in her stomach when she'd had to fib.

Even if only by omission, even if it was only necessary to protect her identity. She'd accepted that long ago, but at least a part of her had never really felt right about it.

"Is there anything special to be watching for?"

Chat hummed, closing his eyes again in thought. "The big things seem to be distractions. We're looking for little things. Places were people are standing."

Ladybug nodded. She'd be particularly watchful for Sabrina's father...and for Chloe and Sabrina themselves, just in case she could find some better hint to give him for tomorrow.

"And," he leaned in closer, preparing to leap down onto the steps below. "We should meet up back here after the ceremony is complete. I want to paws and chat before we're both out of costume and have no means to communicate."

He tossed her a cheery grin and his two fingered salute as he bounced off of the ledge.

She rolled her eyes and allowed a herself a smile, as he was already out of sight.

How was he possibly getting through all these repeated days and still keeping so level headed? It was just the one day to her and she was already feeling pretty weary of it.

Although, if Chat was punning again, he had to be feeling better.

She smiled fondly over the ledge, watching her partner land on his feet and come up with a deep bow to the crowd.

* * *

Chat Noir smiled over at Ladybug. Her bright blue eyes were sweeping the crowd, the podium, the staff standing behind them. It felt, for the first time in so many-repeated-days, like they were a more cohesive team, rather than a one cat show.

Even if they had nothing else to show for the day than what he had at this moment, things were starting to feel a little more normal.

Once LB was caught up in the situation, she would be taking point and tossing out ideas.

In a way, he was lucky that his father had been so adamant on homeschooling him for so long. He was really, really good at memorization of seemingly pointless facts.

Marinette could spot things, Ladybug could make sense of them, and he could play telephone in between.

Of course, now he had Ladybug here. And he certainly could work with her to try and improve their communications, so he could contact her much earlier in the day.

He pressed his lips together, donning one of the more practiced smiles in his repertoire. But that begged the question: where did that leave Marinette?

One of the nicest surprises among all this difficulty and frustration in living this day over and over again had actually been her help and her support. He didn't know if he'd be keeping things together nearly as well without her. Without the understanding of her parents. Without those ridiculous delicious croissants.

Seriously. It was kind of unfair knowing just how good those tasted after being denied carbs like that for so long.

But she didn't really know what that had meant to him. She wouldn't know the next day.

For the sake of his identity-and her safety-she could never know.

But Ladybug could.

* * *

"So you keep reliving this same day, over and over again."

"Yep," he confirmed. The medallions clinked together in Chat's hand on the rooftop, now further away from City Hall to avoid the possibility of crowds and prying ears. "I'm going to move these to someplace safe. We had agreed early on to keep them on neutral ground, especially not knowing what this Akuma is up to."

Ladybug had her arms on her hips. Her eyes were narrowed, watching him carefully. "So what else have we normally been doing each day?"

"We have been meeting up at intervals, discussing the footage that the girl who runs the Ladyblog had posted online for review. It's why I knew what to be looking for a little bit better."

Ladybug nodded. "I had wondered why you seemed so sure earlier."

Chat grinned. "We both owe a lot of that to them. Well, to Marinette, especially?"

Ladybug blinked. "Marinette?"

He nodded. "You remember her, I'm sure. When we fought the Evillustrator, you sent me in to protect her."

"Yes." Ladybug smiled softly. "I remember."

"She's been amazingly helpful. She must have spent hours one of the nights, poring over footage." He might have been blushing the slightest bit at the memory of her tucking him in. But if Ladybug noticed, she didn't mention. "In fact, she spotted the biggest thing we've found so far: the Officer who with Akumatized into Roger cop was in a different place over these past few days."

She raised her eyebrows at that. "So he had something big change to cause that."

Chat nodded. "He must have. I sent Marinette and a classmate of hers I found while I was running around in the early morning hours in on a mission to see if they could find him."

"Was that safe?" Her eyes had narrowed, her arms crossing over her chest.

Chat shrugged. "Safer than possibly going in myself in costume. What if the Akuma is in there, somewhere? The only advantage we have working for us right now is surprise."

"And we need to understand what we're up against."

"Right," he nodded, bouncing on his heels eagerly. "Unless you had a better idea, I was going to send them both in again tomorrow with some better idea of what to expect. I was going to drop these off and then stop in to see Marinette and find out how things went."

Ladybug paced. "Are you sure that's wise?"

"I'm not really sure we have a better option." Chat frowned. "I don't think I would be putting her or her family at risk. I often run a patrol route that goes past her house and their family bakery, so if anyone was watching us, it wouldn't look so unusual."

She had stopped pacing, watching him carefully.

"Anyways, her family is so kind and understanding." His cat-like eyes were wide to match the broad, toothy smile that grew on his face. "It was nice. I've not had breakfast with company in...far too long."

"Oh." Ladybug's hand reached out. Her eyes were a mix of emotions that spun rapid fire, a little too hard for even him to read beneath her red spotted mask. She finally settled on a frown, as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Chat Noir."

He smile thinned, as his gaze grew a bit distant. "It's alright. It isn't like you knew."

She exhaled, feeling awkward. It didn't sit well with her that she didn't know things were quite so bad for her partner at home. "Right. But that doesn't mean I can't feel sad that things aren't so great for you."

His smile returned. "But that has also been the silver lining to this mess. I get to see what a normal family looks like. To just get to share breakfast with a friend from school-"

"Chat!?" Breathless, Ladybug gaped at him. Her hands clapped over her ears as she sunk to the ground.

A friend from school? Was that? A mental voice that sounded suspiciously like Tikki shouted. Don't think about it, Marinette!

She forced her mind to shut down, her ears to tone out anything else he might say. "You're telling me way too much. You know that this isn't safe for either of us."

"I'm sorry, my Lady." The look in his hooded eyes was a little heartbreaking. His claw had reached out, until he thought better of it slowly pulling it away. "I wasn't thinking."

Her legs felt boneless and unsteady, so she stayed on the ground, willing her heart to stop racing from the panic. She could do little more than nod, as she watched him stepped up onto the ledge to leave, pulling the baton out of its holster to leave her before he revealed anything more.

Chat Noir sighed dejectedly as he stepped away from her; he was clearly far too tired for his own good with a half smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Will it really matter if you won't remember all of this tomorrow?"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

Only one more chapter to finish out this day!

My husband was a doll and kind of gave me a weekend alone to write! 3 If I pace myself well, I might have one last entry in the next few days, but as you might be able to tell, the next entry will be a bit more...complicated that most. :) But it also gives me a lot of little incentive to push through and get it out to you all ASAP. 3

Thanks you all as always for the feedback and support. 3

Curious about updates? Find me on Tumblr at the same author name. :)


	14. Day 1f - Voices of Reason

Still breathless from his detour to the Eiffel Tower to deposit their medallions, Adrien vaulted in through the opened bay window. Until they knew for certain that there wasn't some way to track them to their real homes, there would be no safer place to store them.

Moving at breakneck pace was the only thing that was keeping him from thinking.

The moment after he had hit the ground on his feet and steady enough from the fast landing, Plagg had broken the transformation.

"Kid!"

His shoulders dropped, his fist clenching, stopping short of pounding against the desk. "I know, Plagg. I screwed up."

"You can't beat yourself up." Plagg crossed his arms, not bothering to his his smirk. "That's my job. Ladybug will get over it."

"Right, in that she probably won't remember." Adrien winced at the memory. "But I will. I get to remember how terrified she looked."

Plagg butted his head with his own tiny one. "Look. She's scared. If I know Tikki, she'll have been very firm that even the slightest misstep could be catastrophic. She and I both have been through tough times with holders in the past, and we've both learned to be cautious. Besides," Plagg murmured, not entirely under his breath. "Training new ones can be incredibly annoying."

"Tikki?" Adrien whispered, meeting his kwami's glowing green eyes. "Who is Tikk-"

A sharp knock sounded at the door. "Adrien? Are you awake"

Quick on the balls of his feet, Adrien's eyes darted to the door.

"Plagg, hide." He hissed quietly as he could manage as Plagg ducked down into the shadows of the trash can.

"Adrien?"

Eyes wide, Adrien bounded across the open space on pure muscle memory.

He dove under the covers just in time to adjust the sheets enough to hide his normal casual clothes before Nathalie dared to open up his door.

Ever efficient, she crossed his room stood beside his bed, silently observing as her fingers tapped across the tablet. "Are you feeling any better?"

He turned his head in her direction. "A little bit."

"You're looking a little pale." She presses the back of her palm on his forehead to assess his temperature, looking more than a little concerned. "But it seems like your temperature is down now."

Adrien coughed, careful not to meet her canny eyes head on. "That's good. I've been so busy that I had forgotten about a big project for school due on Tuesday."

Nathalie's lips pressed together. "You didn't mention anything."

Adrien closed his eyes. He felt bad lying to her, but needs must, at least for today. "I forgot.

Her eyebrows raised. "I suppose something can be arranged."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Plagg was happily raiding his cheese stash of cheese looking for all the world like the cat that got the cream. Or at least in the case he kept finding himself in, extra-creamy, perfectly aged soft cheese.

He shrugged when the kid sighed. At least one of them was happy.

The ruthless secretary had commanded the kitchens to make lunch for his study group. If she couldn't force him to rest, she'd at least try to keep him where she could watch him and keep to the more nutritious foods.

He had even sent out a group text claiming they all could come over and work on the project.

Well. The pig-tailed girl had something she had to do first, but the other two would be over within the hour.

Everything was basically going according to plan.

Mostly.

Adrien was sighing again, dropping his head over dramatically onto the desk.

Plagg shot him a vague look of disgust, as he tried to enjoy the tiniest morsel. "All this grumbling is ruining my appetite. So, you mis-spoke? Big deal."

The kid threw him a dirty look.

He shrugged. When you had lived as long as he had, it tended to put matters into perspective. "It was a dumb move, but it isn't the end of the world. Especially considering how much weight you are carrying on you at the moment."

"She's going to hate me," Adrien whined.

Plagg sighed. He wasn't going to be able to actually enjoy his camembert until he nipped this in the bud anyways. "Look. If the past few days have taught us anything, we can be pretty sure she won't remember."

The look of kittenish hope welling in the kid's eyes was almost nauseating.

He turned his head because he couldn't bear to watch. There wasn't enough cheese hidden in his stash to deal with that right now. "Trust me, kid. It's just not going to be a big deal."

* * *

"This is such a big deal, Tikki!"

TIkki sighed. This just wouldn't do at all. "Marinette. You need to calm down. Freaking out is not going to help you right now."

'But I can't just not think about it, Tikki. The more I try to stop thinking about it, the more it keeps spinning around in my mind." Her hands waved in the air, as she paced the room. "He said he goes to my school."

TIkki shook her head. This girl was way too close to hyperventilating, when she ought to be focused. They had much bigger problems at the moment. "And so do hundreds of other kids. Your class is just one of what ten? Maybe fifteen?"

Marinette paused, mentally puzzling through the math.

"And you are pretty well known...with all the contests, the CD design, and the class president you're pretty visible, even to people outside your own class." Tikki came to rest upon her shoulder, fluffing the hair of her pigtail. "Odds are, Chat is someone you pass in the halls, with neither of you any the wiser."

Absently, Marinette's hand came up, pressing her into the gentlest hug. "Oh. I really hope you're right."

"Besides. You won't remember by the time tomorrow comes around, if what Chat was saying is true."

"That's right!" Marinette beamed, her fears at least momentarily abated. "I just have to get through the rest of today!"

Tikki smiled, enjoying the peace for the moment. It hadn't yet occurred to her young charge that she'd just have to pretend with Chat Noir that she didn't know while giving him an update.

But for now, she was all in favor of enjoying the respite from panic. Plagg clearly wasn't on top of this situation, so she would have to be.

Marinette was halfway to the stairs. "I'm going to run a grab a snack for us both. Then, we'll work on the video?"

"Sounds like a plan!" Tikki cheered as the door closed behind her, dancing across the keyboard to get her bearings on the event recap. This would take both of them working at their best, if Plagg was stumped.

She set her tiny jaw and hovered up to read the screen, until the phone began buzzing beside her.

Tikki read the text that floated up the screen with a heavy sigh. An invite to Adrien's house?

She had just gotten the poor girl settled down!

Marinette would definitely be panicking. At least it would be for something new.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

This chapter is split into two to force me to work on the back half of it, which keeps growing by every day that I drag my feet on it. :)

I hope to have that last bit finished so I can post this weekend. I'm basically just to the point of tinkering, but I keep messing with the scene order and really need to make sure everything is consistent and as clear the plot allows.

Thanks to all of you who have stuck with me thus far! Your support is so greatly appreciated! 3


	15. Day 1f - Collaboration

Adrien paced the room. It was so rare that he got to have guests over - especially outside of a potential Akuma attack - that he wanted everything to be perfect.

He had extra media devices out, and the TV ready and queued up to stream the footage Nino and Alya had shot earlier in the day.

His bag was loaded with all the Camembert he could scrounge up on fast notice.

Nathalie already had all the food in order, commanding the kitchen to whip up snacks and dinner that pushed the edge of his nutritionist's demands.

She had assured him that his father was not to be disturbed and likely would not be questioning the presence of guests in his room. As long as they stayed in his room...with the door open.

All he had to do was to stay calm and quiet enough for Nathalie to not doubt he was still feeling a bit under the weather.

And hope that Plagg would stay hidden. If he was really lucky, he might even stay asleep while everyone was here.

Not to mention hope that Alya wouldn't be curious enough to try to explore.

Nino had been in here before. And Alya was dating Nino, so while she was a girl, it wasn't that big of a deal.

Even Ladybug had been here before, but under the auspices of protecting his father from the horde of victims that Simon Says had drawn into his army. Or to check on him when an Akuma had pretended to dangle him off the top of the Eiffel Tower.

He sighed, fussing with his hair. Not that Ladybug was even happy with him at the moment.

But Marinette...

Adrien sighed, flopping back on the couch. Why was he making everything so awkward now?

Marinette didn't ask for this. She'd just been nothing but nice and helpful to him, while he was both in and out of costume. Her parents, too.

He scrubbed his hand over his face, trying to force himself not to show how rattled this was making him. At least all the model training on schooling his face might actually end up being useful for once.

Ladybug was just so mad at him right now, and Marinette had been so amazingly kind. It wasn't fair to either of them that his feelings were so muddled and fickle.

Nino and Alya were entirely too canny. If he wasn't careful, they would suspect something was up...and not let go until they knew all there was to know.

At least, if he did screw up today, they probably wouldn't remember either.

* * *

"Oh my God, girl. This room is insane." Her phone was pressed to her ear as she gaped at the rock wall. "You've got to see this."

Nino peered over the couch, grinning at Alya's antics. She was so animated, it was little difficult for him to focus on the video right now.

"Is that seriously a rock wall?" Her hand pressed to one of the handholds, pulling herself up for a second to test if it would bear her weight. "Seriously, you need to get over here now. I need to know which of us can climb this faster."

Nino snickered, turning back around to the TV. Alya was way too distracted to be productive yet.

It wasn't like he didn't understand. Adrien's room was totally impressive. He could stay here for days and never get bored.

But living here in this, everyday? Adrien was totally bored. Games were only fun when you had other people to play against. Not that his Dad ever understood that.

Nino frowned. They were here to be productive. If they could provide to Adrien's father that they could be responsible, chances were pretty good they would all be invited back just to hang out. Adrien needed every bit of normalcy he could get.

He was a bit surprised to see that Adrien hadn't been any more focused on the TV than he had been. They were both, in principle, watching the video for details. That usually didn't work well when you weren't actually watching the screen.

Alya grew quiet, frowning as she fiddled with her ladybug charm.

"You alright?"

Adrien frowned. Nino paused the tape, but Adrien didn't say a thing. He was too busy engrossed in Alya's conversation.

"I'm sure your Mom and Dad could let you come over for a while."

The large room descended into silence momentarily.

"What?" Alya shouted, her grin growing exponentially. "Well, get him to bring you over here, then!"

Nino blinked when he noticed that Adrien's face fell. Okay. That was new. What was all that about?

"I demand an interview. With you. Or him?" Alya was very bouncy. It was way too distracting. "How about both?"

Adrien was not even subtle. His brows furrowed, as he settled his chin on the back of the couch.

Nino adjusted his hat. His bro was way too lucky that Alya was super amused by whatever Marinette was saying. Something was clearly up. He'd have to text Adrien with a bunch of questions later.

Alya snorted, as she settled her gear up near the computer desk. "Yeah, I mean you could always leave a note. I bet he'd understand."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll see you soon!"

Nino darted a glance over to Adrien. That contemplative frown was still locked in place. Alya was getting settled into the computer desk, to pull up the mayor's office records and identify the staff.

But she was fast. Adrien would be found out and subjected to twenty questions before he knew what hit him.

Nino cleared his throat. "Was Marinette alright?"

"Yeah." Alya smiled, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she prepared to dive into full investigator mode. "She sounded a little distracted at first. But she'd failed to mention that she was waiting for a visit from Chat Noir."

Adrien paled. "Oh…"

Nino frowned, wondering if he was actually a bit more ill than he was pretending for his Dad's secretary.

"I thought she was maybe still mad about what happened in City Hall."

Nino sighed.

"Oh?" Alya quirked a brow, spinning in the desk chair and abandoning her post in front of the keyboard. She was quick to shift modes at the scent of a story. "Marinette didn't really say all that much about it. Just that she was doing Chat Noir a favor."

Adrien's eyes widened as she approached. "Just like we all are. Chat caught me out on a walk earlier this morning. But apparently he stopped at Marinette's house with more details."

Alya leaned against the couch. "That's very interesting…"

"Apparently he had worked with her before or something?" His lips pressed together. "I don't know. We just had to go inside City Hall and try to locate Sabrina's father. Chat was kind of stingy with the details. And Marinette kind of stomped off after we ran into Chloe."

Alya's eyes narrowed. "Did you ever find Sabrina's Dad?"

"No." Adrien leaned back into the couch. "I figured she was frustrated that we didn't get what Chat Noir needed."

Alya tilted her head, a speculative glint clear in her eyes. "Was she upset before you ran into Chloe?"

Adrien's brows furrowed. "Not so much. I mean, it was frustrating not really finding anyone helpful inside there. I think she was more worried about letting people down."

"And Chloe did what she always does, grabbing your arm?"

Adrien shrugged. "It's what she does."

"Sunshine." Alya frowned, her massaging her temples. "Have you ever asked Chloe not to do that?"

Adrien just sighed heavily.

Alya patted Nino on the shoulder. "I mean, Chloe's a bit hard to take on a good day. I really don't know how you do it."

"She's an old friend."

"Right," Alya agreed quickly, but still pressed her point. "But even friends have boundaries. And it is not beneath Chloe to try to get a rise out of Marinette any way she can."

"So, Marinette doesn't like when Chloe does that."

Alya gaped, meeting Nino's eyes.

Nino steps in before Alya could press the issue. "Something like that. I know you always look uncomfortable when she does that."

Alya recovered fast. "And Marinette hates to see anyone in pain or discomfort. Particularly not good friends."

"And you definitely count as that…" Nino confirmed.

Adrien's eyes widened, the corners of his lips tugging upwards. "Oh."

* * *

Adrien had escaped as quickly as he could, his bag of clothes - Plagg's hiding place - and running to the bathroom to grab a shower. Nino could poke fun about that convenient habit all he liked once tomorrow finally came. For now, he would play up the fake illness and have as much time as he needed to bring Marinette in.

She was mad about Chloe! Thank goodness. He didn't know if he could really stand having two girls mad at him today.

He could relieve some of his own guilt in screwing up with Ladybug by getting as much investigative distance as they all collectively could.

It just meant that he had to bring Marinette in now. She was waiting for him after all.

He unzipped the bag, locked the door, and set the shower faucet on. When the hum of the shower was loud enough to mask his voice, he called for Plagg.

* * *

Chat leapt over the rooftops to land outside the bakery. Marinette's parents might wonder if she disappeared, and they already knew how important it was for her to help out.

It was just courteous to let them know.

Marinette's mother had grinned as he'd entered, waving him off to the side.

"Marinette is going to help Alya and Nino go through the video they took."

"And you came to pick her up?"

Chat palmed the back of his neck. "I think she was waiting for me to come here and talk about what happened during the ceremony. It didn't feel right just going up without checking in with you."

Sabine smiled, pressing a bag of baked goods into his hands. "You're a good kid. Just tell Marinette she needs to be back home before dark."

Chat nodded eagerly, taking a peek into the bag.

If there were extra baked goods in his future, he would not be the one to complain

* * *

"Are you up there, Princess?" Chat bounced up the steps, knocking on the door to her room.

When she didn't answer, he poked his head in. Marinette was not in her room. At least not anywhere he could see.

But it became increasingly clear that there was something here that he had never expected to see.

His own posters on the wall.

"Chat Noir!" Her cheeks flushed, tugging his arm to drag him away from the pictures. "What are you doing here?"

"Your Maman sent me up." He was never more thankful that his mask hid the better part of his expression. "You're a fan, I take it?"

She was not meeting his eyes, which was probably good considering he was pretty sure his cheeks just got impossibly warmer. "No, he's a friend. A good one. Besides, fashion design is what I want to get my career in."

"You have nothing from the other Gabriel lines." And boy didn't he know, how many other models his father had. His father pointed to his own flaws and to their successes, as some sort of goal to strive for. Not that modelling had ever been his own choice. "And not many other pictures."

"There's one of Alya and I on my desk. And my phone." Her voice climbed in pitch. "And you know all the pictures of my family are downstairs.

He grinned. He did know at that. And was still curious.

But she's still blushing heavily. He can practically feel the heat from her face.

She huffed, straightening her posture to full height. It would have been intimidating if it wasn't actually quite cute. "If you're going to tease me, you can go right back outside, Chat Noir."

"You'd kick this cat out, Princess?" He grinned.

Marinette's eyes narrowed, clearly less than impressed. "Don't you have a day to save or something?"

"I do. And I'm supposed to take you over to meet your friends at that model's house." Chat Noir shifted awkwardly. " But won't that be uncomfortable for you?"

"Isn't the repeating days uncomfortable for you?" She sassed back, her hands crossed over her chest. "I can deal with it. I've spent the better part of the last year dealing with it. I'm used to being an awkward mess whenever he is around."

"Really, princess? He's nothing special." Chat shook his head in disbelief. And he -truly - ought to know. "He's just a regular guy...who happens to be the son of a fashion designer."

"He's not just a guy." She'd huffed defiantly, blowing a puff of warm air across his neck that sent a thrill down his neck. Her cheeks glowed pink, but he couldn't tell if it was from her defensive attitude or embarrassment from his teasing. "He's a good guy. Adrien gave me a second chance when I doubted him without understanding his actions. He could have just blown me off and ignored me, but he was better than that. He was maybe even a bit better than I would have been if I were in his shoes."

Chat was silent.

He didn't dare turn around to try to catch her eyes, like he so desperately wanted to.

Chat chuckled awkwardly, offering her a hand so she could tug herself up onto his back just as he had done earlier that day. "If you insist, Princess."

She'd narrowed her eyes, accepting it reluctantly.

He tried not to focus as she balanced her weight on his back.

Marinette actually liked him.

Really liked him.

Really saw him as something more than just a model.

And she had liked him for a while, apparently. All while he had been none the wiser.

She had liked him for that whole time he had considered her a friend, and all the while he'd been wondering if she still kind of disliked him.

Chat gulped, glad that his house was already in sight. He was even more glad that the cover of night would help mask the blush that was surely darkening his cheeks.

She sighed, moving her face into his collarbone. "I don't expect you to understand, Chat."

"I actually do, Princess."

* * *

Chat didn't dare to speak as he raced across the rooftops, muscle memory and furious speed carrying him quickly home.

He didn't dare to think as he carried her across the rooftops. He needed to be totally focused; even one misstep could be catastrophic. In every way.

He didn't dare to breathe easier until he set her in the floor of his room.

Even then he wasn't breathing all that well.

She didn't look at the room, marveling at how crazy it was. He had seen it enough from Nino and Alya to expect it. Instead she was focused on him, the tiniest frown marring her face. "Are you alright, Chat?"

"Yep!" He half-squawked. "I just have one more thing to take care of. If you turn anything up, you can leave me a note on your roof after you get home."

Marinette nodded silently.

Alya was practically vibrating with excitement. "I do want an interview with you, you know."

"Later," Chat winked, far more at ease with that dynamic. "You have my word, once this mess is finally settled. Chat's honor."

He ducked back out the window of his room, saluting as the baton lifted him up onto the roof and out of sight.

* * *

Adrien didn't dare to think until his shoes hit the bathroom floor.

The steam was now thick, rising and fogging the mirror. He swiped it clear with his clawed hand, letting his transformation fade.

Plagg dove into the bag to raid his supply.

He breathed, willing himself to calm down as he pressed his forehead to the slightly chilled glass.

He truly did understand Marinette's feelings all too well.

The whole of Paris could dismiss his feelings for Ladybug as hero worship. At least half of the Ladyblog followers so often did. He'd spent enough time scrolling through the comments section to know for certain.

But it had always been more than that. Ladybug was strong, yes, but it was right in the face of her fears. He had seen it all written on her face so clearly in those first days. Seen her clumsiness slowly shift into unshakable confidence. Seen her make decisions, even ones he disagreed with, with her sheer force of conviction. She wasn't always right, but she did try to be fair.

He had loved the superhero parts of her, yes. But that truly wasn't the whole picture. He was just lucky to get to see so much of it, so much of her. Those feelings were so easy for him to understand.

What he didn't understand was how he was supposed to forget this news.

To work with Marinette as Adrien tonight, grappling with feelings that he couldn't quite fit a clean name to. Something more than friends, but somewhat less than the weight of his feelings for his partner.

To pretend like he still had no idea about her crush.

To pretend it had no effect on him, when nothing could be further from the truth.

Just how was he supposed to forget this?

Groaning in frustration, he shucked off his orange sneakers, dropping them and his socks into a messy pile on the floor.

Just this once, he actually could use that shower he'd been pretending to take.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

Un-edited. This is the monster that kept expanding. It was originally like 1000 words and I kept tinkering. I will probably tinker with wording and descriptions later, especially if someone takes pity on me and helps beta this monster.

Thanks for your patience and support through the last chapter. I really, seriously needed to focus in on this section.

As you can tell, this chapter will have an impact on the story going forward. I cleverly thought I'd be getting to it like 10000 words ago.

Ha ha ha! *cries in the corner*


	16. Act II: Day 1g

Daylight broke through the large bay windows in his room, but for the first time in all of these repeated days, Adrien hadn't woken up feeling rested.

He felt truly exhausted.

He could use the sleep. But he couldn't bear to let Ladybug down. He owed her all the attention he could spare….even if that attention was definitely being divided.

Thank God, Marinette could keep her head in the game.

He tugged his comforter up over his head to block out the light. He was sure that he didn't have long before Nathalie would be by to drop off his schedule for the day.

Marinette and the others had stayed for a few hours, but he had been utterly useless.

He could barely focus. Nino and Alya definitely noticed. Marinette, on the other hand, was super focused.

They all managed to do most of the heavy lifting, though he had to hope he could remember a few of the names and faces they dug up.

Thank goodness they wouldn't remember anything today.

Unfortunately, all their hard work probably wouldn't matter, as his foggy brain could do very little at the moment, which didn't bode well for the day.

He had a decision to make. Nathalie's knock was coming soon.

Plagg grumbled echoes from his trash can. Plagg must have been tired too, or he would be relentless in his teasing.

Adrien? Are you awake?

He winced, getting up out of bed, and answering her at the door. He's lazing about a bit, letting his eyes droop. "What is it Nathalie?"

"Adrien," she started to drone automatically, before she halted, blinking as she took in his appearance. "You need to get dressed and moving. You have a photo shoot this morning."

"That was today?" His jaw dropped, eyes wide and innocent. "I already had plans with classmates to work on a school project."

Nathalie blanched, clearly at an impasse. Schoolwork was on of the few exceptions his father had the grace to allow. "When is your project due?"

"Monday we need to do a presentation. And one of the members of our group has a family wedding to attend on Sunday afternoon, so we have to work on it today."

"So you really can't get out of it."

He winced, looking sympathetic. "Sorry. It counts for about 20% of our grade for the term."

She set her jaw, ruthlessly resettling her glasses on the bridge of her nose. "Very well. I expect you'll be ready tomorrow if I postpone everything for today."

Adrien plastered on a grateful smile and nodded enthusiastically. He would be ready for another awful photo shoot - when and if tomorrow ever came.

* * *

Chat Noir was a little less sure-footed than normal as he leapt the familiar eaves between his house and Marinette's.

Today was the first day he knew her secret. Well, the first full day anyways.

Marinette couldn't know that he knew. And he couldn't tease her about it as Chat Noir. Not even though he had so many questions to ask her.

It wasn't that he was unhappy that she had a crush on him. Far from it in fact.

Both in and out of the costume, there was hardly anyone else - outside of Ladybug herself - who impressed him more.

Chat's grip on the baton tightened as he bridged over one gap far too long for him to leap at this speed. He had to figure out how to act like a human being around Marinette, and last night had not boded well. Not when he had been such an awkward mess around her the night before.

Because all of the sudden, the pressure was suddenly on him. His focus was almost entirely on her.

Suddenly it was her opinion that truly mattered. Marinette didn't just like the model and she didn't just like the hero. She had actually met all three and had a crush on the boy he was behind it all.

Ladybug didn't know him. She didn't want to know who was behind the mask. He understood why but it didn't mean he had to be happy about it. It just meant but no matter how much he felt for ladybug but she would never allow him to truly get close to her. Certainly not in any way that he wanted

He sighed, letting the breeze ruffle his hair.

Was this what it had been like for Nino all those months ago? When he'd been encouraging his best bud to pursue his feelings for Marinette.

When he had the audacity to claim that talking to girls was easy?

At least that ended well. Alya and Nino were actually really happy together.

And the fact that they had paired off together meant that he got to spend more time with Marinette, finally getting to be friends with her despite her weird aversion.

Which now totally made sense. Because he spent a fairly long amount of time last night awkwardly failing to form sentences in Marinette's presence.

He had faked his way through, pretending to be super focused on the city hall profiles and the video feed.

But he knew better.

And Plagg definitely did.

He'd spent the better part of last night devouring every scrap of Camembert in the fridge and snickering about karma.

* * *

It seemed like no time at all before he was back to sitting in the Dupain-Cheng kitchen, far more anxious than he had been the day before. Try as he might, he could not sit still.

His tail waved anxiously, his ears perked and at full attention for the slightest hint of motion from the room he knew all too well was overhead.

Sabine followed his gaze with interest but said nothing, until he'd dropped his transformation.

"Oh!" she gasped, her hand pressing against her mouth.

He hadn't noticed how wide her eyes had grown as she gaped at him and then watched with amazement as his gluttonous kwami darted for the fridge. "Have you ever done that before?"

He smiled. "You mean, have I ever dropped my transformation? It is pretty risky. Usually."

"Usually?" Sabine echoed, tilting her head before realization struck. Her wide eyes were like a darker shade than Marinette's. "Ah. I suppose won't remember tomorrow."

"Not if everything happened as it did yesterday." He smiled, awkwardly half shrugging a shoulder. "Of course, Ladybug won't be happy with me if she finds out. She is sure it is safer for our identities to remain hidden."

She narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms. "Marinette is that necessary?"

"Absolutely." He nodded, certain that he cheeks had grown warmer. Had it been so warm in here yesterday? "I can't actually get to Ladybug until after the ceremony, she's the one I need to work with. Marinette has been amazing and finding new ways to try to track this Akuma before it can harm anyone. So Ladybug and I can be ready to keep everyone safe."

Sabine's eyes softened. "And you'll protect her?"

"Of course!" His eyes flashed, posture straightening. His fists clenched tight across his chest. "I couldn't bear to see her hurt in any way."

Sabine set her mug down on the counter, her steely gaze focused on him, assessing. "Do you have anything else you need to do?"

He blinked, trying to remember what he had said the day before.

She smiled. "Your time is precious, right?"

He nodded, frowning at the tiny beast who was currently stuffing an impossible pile of cheese into its tiny mouth. "Plagg, behave yourself."

Sabine smirked. What was little bit of cheese in the service of keeping Marinette safe? "I suspect I'll need about 45 minutes to get my daughter up and out of bed. Think you could find your way back here by then?"

He grinned. "Absolutely. I'm sure I can find some way to keep busy."

He snagged out of the air, speaking softly. "C'mon, Plagg. Claws out."

* * *

Half an hour and exactly two amazing chocolate croissants later, he and Plagg were both fed enough to get them through lunch time. It was amazing how nice Marinette's parents were.

In spite of how anxious we was, he was fed and happy. It also didn't hurt that Marinette's father was hilarious.

It was pretty clear that was why she appreciated his sense of humor.

He sighed heavily, wishing his own father would be even the slightest bit open and relaxed again, as he had been when he was very small. But with his mother gone, that seemed to be an impossible hope.

Anxiously, he paced in the living room, pacing as Marinette's mother turned around at the stove.

It had been a hard enough to keep his composure around her parents, but now Marinette would be coming.

He had to be on his game because she was actually really clever. He knew that all too well.

She could probably even give LB a fair run for her money. It must have been why Ladybug knew she could trust Marinette to handle the whole instance with Nathaniel.

He stopped in his tracks, eyebrows raised. Maybe Ladybug went to school with Marinette when she was younger.

He bit his lip as his eyes strayed from the stairs over to the bookshelf; now he really wanted to see what was in that book of photographs.

* * *

Sabine kept watching the superhero in her living room with a secretive smile, as she finished cooking breakfast at the stove. She had known about her daughter's crush on the boy. Considering Adrien had been nothing but genuinely kind and polite both times she had met him now, she had no cause to disapprove of either him or her daughter's judgement.

She already had to fight with her tendency to feed any of Marinette's friends who dropped by, but in spite of the fact that he was well off, it was clear his parents were not taking proper care of him.

To know that poor boy was also running himself ragged saving the whole of Paris? That was an awful lot of responsibility to shoulder for anyone, let alone as one of two teenagers. She shook her head, wondering who it was that had saddle Adrien and his partner with that heavy of a burden.

Sabine couldn't help but notice how nervous he was, blushing and pacing and sneaking not so furtive glances up at the stairs as Marinette's movements occasionally creaked through floorboards.

She filled up his plate again with fruit and eggs...and a bit of cheese for the little cat as well...in case he was still hungry, and slid it across the countertop. "You don't get to eat enough."

He smiled, snapping his attention to her from the bookshelf. "Not really. My nutritionist would have fits if he saw all of this."

Sabine's smile thinned. "Do they know just how many...extra curricular activities you are involved in?"

"Well," he hedged, "I definitely can't talk about this one. But I do have some more active sports they do know about."

"And they are not watching carefully?"

"To be honest, I think they only get concerned when I am on the high side of the pounds." Chat sighed. "I have to sneak food from the kitchens to feed Plagg, so maybe they thinking I'm eating all of that."

"You still need to eat well. You're a growing young man." She crossed her arms, tapping a toe. "I have half a mind to go and speak to your father about all this. It is one thing for you to be so busy and to eat healthy to keep in shape, but it is quite another to have you starving yourself."

He gaped. "That...I appreciate it, but I think that wouldn't exactly go over well. He's very...stubborn."

She ruffled his hair. "Parents usually are. Especially when it comes to their children."

"I want you to promise me something. If you need food, I want you to come here. Even if I don't remember all this."

"You're always protecting the city. And today you're protecting my daughter." Her eyes narrowed, arms crossing over her chest. "The idea that you don't have an adult really knowing what you are dealing with and watching out for you troubles me."

* * *

Chat Noir's grin widened. It was remarkable just how striking the family resemblance was between mother and daughter. He didn't get to see it all that often, but in those moments he had seen Marinette unguarded and standing up for others in the classroom or standing up for her uncle. Or just standing up to Chloe who oddly always seemed to always be involved in all of the circumstances.

He grabbed the fork, selecting a modest bite of eggs. It hadn't occurred to him just how much he's noticed her over the past year without really even trying.

The first echo of her footsteps on the stairs drew his focus.

"Chat?!" She'd shouted, bounding down the steps. Her hair was still damp and clothes were not as neatly in place as they usually seemed to be at school. "What are you doing here?"

Chat smiled, closing his mouth to keep it from betraying him. How had this gone yesterday? Slowly, he placed his fork beside his plate, his claws weaving behind his neck. "I'm afraid that's a bit of a long story, Princess."

When Sabine snorted indelicately, he blushed. Thankfully, that was what pulled Marinette's attention so he try to breathe and steady himself for what needed to happen now.

"I'll just take this down to your father while you both catch up."

* * *

Chat leaned his head on the hand, watching in fascination as Marinette grew more and more animated as he relayed the plan to her. Her blue eyes sparkled as she met him measure for measure through the details.

Just getting the chance to chat with her like this was nice. There was a certain freedom in her not quite knowing who he was. Like how he got to watch the pretty blush settle into her cheeks when he told her he needed her to work with his alter ego. How he got to understand what that actually meant to her...and what her reaction meant to him

He smiled softly, feeling more comfortable, more confident.

Until she caught him watching her. Then he felt the fiery blush hit him like a freight train.

Her eyes widened for only a moment, tilting her head as she was taking his measure.

"What's the matter?" Especially when she smirked right back at him, those gorgeous blue eyes filled with a delightful bit of mischief. He might have backed away, tilting back in his chair ever so slightly when she drew a few inches closer to him. "Chat got your tongue?"

As he picked himself back up off the floor, he know it was going to be a very long day.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

So, that took much longer than planned to finish! :D Luckily, I got a good chunk of time to write over the extended weekend. The rest of this day should be much shorter in terms of chapters and such...and is already mostly drafted.

Your comments are amazing. Every single one of them means so much to me. 3 3 3

Curious about updates? Find me on Tumblr. :)


End file.
